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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: cue · tear · bound · toast · prune · spring · calf · season

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. tear — to rip
  10. season — in sport
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bound — obliged
  15. season — of the year
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — the season
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. calf — a young animal

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