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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 120 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 · bore · rule · bear · prune · bulb · present · swing

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. present — the time now
  3. season — of the year
  4. bulb — for light
  5. present — there
  6. bear — the animal
  7. present — a gift
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. swing — music
  13. bore — to drill
  14. swing — in golf
  15. season — in sport
  16. rule — a law
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rule — government

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