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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · bank · prune · mine · cap · jam · roll · press

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bank — for money
  7. press — a publisher
  8. season — in sport
  9. mine — for digging
  10. roll — a list
  11. bank — for money
  12. cap — a lid
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. season — of the year
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. prune — to trim
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bank — of a river
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com