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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.

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: spring · pit · season · wake · prune · rule · leaves · cue

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. rule — a law
  4. cue — for pool
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wake — a trail
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. spring — of water
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pit — a hole
  16. season — of the year
  17. cue — a hint
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spring — the season
  21. rule — government
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  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