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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: spring · season · prune · row · bowl · pit · bear · fork

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. season — in sport
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. row — a line
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — in a race
  15. spring — of water
  16. fork — in a road
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. season — of the year
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. prune — to trim
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. row — to paddle

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