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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: tear · land · scale · season · prune · field · leaves · rush

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. field — a subject
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. scale — size or range
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. land — to come down
  12. season — of the year
  13. field — farmland
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. field — for sport
  19. scale — in music
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. season — in sport
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rush — hurry

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