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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: cap · content · pound · shower · prune · mine · season · plane

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. season — in sport
  3. mine — for digging
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — a hat
  11. season — of the year
  12. content — the amount
  13. cap — of ice
  14. shower — to wash
  15. prune — to trim
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pound — a weight
  18. shower — rain
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mine — an explosive

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