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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: jam · bound · prune · racket · last · season · bay · pass

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bound — obliged
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. last — final
  7. season — in sport
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pass — a permit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — of the year
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bound — certain

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