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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: jam · saw · mate · season · cell · hide · row · prune

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mate — a partner
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. saw — the tool
  10. row — a line
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. season — of the year
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cell — a phone
  20. row — to paddle
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cell — in biology
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — in sport

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