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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: swing · chair · band · prune · season · leaves · pit · rush

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. swing — to play on
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rush — hurry
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. band — a ring
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — in a race
  15. swing — in golf
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. swing — music
  22. pit — a hole
  23. prune — to trim
  24. leaves — to go away

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