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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · mug · present · fall · season · saw · cold · prune

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. mug — a cup
  4. fall — the season
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. fall — to drop
  10. season — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. saw — the tool
  13. present — the time now
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mug — to rob
  17. present — a gift
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — of the year
  20. saw — the tool
  21. staff — employees
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mug — a face
  24. present — there

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