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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 120 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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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: suit · prune · wind · tear · racket · season · last · bowl

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. suit — in cards
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — finally
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. prune — to trim
  16. last — to go on
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. suit — to fit
  24. last — final

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