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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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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: chest · tube · chair · pit · cap · bay · season · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pit — in a race
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. tube — a container
  15. cap — of ice
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cap — a lid
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. season — to add flavour

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