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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: season · bear · band · firm · mine · prune · rush · land

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. land — ground
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rush — hurry
  9. firm — decided
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. firm — steady
  12. band — a music group
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a ring
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. season — of the year
  18. firm — a company
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. land — a country
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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