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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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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: wake · season · fan · bulb · prune · leaves · spring · present

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — for light
  3. present — there
  4. spring — of water
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. prune — to trim
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. season — of the year
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wake — a trail
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. season — in sport
  18. present — a gift
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. present — the time now
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bulb — for light
  24. leaves — of a tree

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