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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: leaves · rush · shower · pit · bore · season · prune · object

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pit — in a race
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. season — of the year
  5. bore — to drill
  6. object — to protest
  7. rush — hurry
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. shower — rain
  15. bore — to tire
  16. prune — to trim
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. season — in sport
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pit — a hole
  22. prune — to trim
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. shower — to wash

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