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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: jam · season · prune · root · pass · cell · shower · sharp

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. root — of a word
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cell — in biology
  5. prune — to trim
  6. shower — to wash
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cell — a phone
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. season — of the year
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. shower — rain
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. season — in sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. root — the cause
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. sharp — exactly

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