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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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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: cap · prune · wind · bear · season · drill · club · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cap — a lid
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cap — of ice
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bear — the animal
  15. club — for golf
  16. season — in sport
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. club — for dancing
  20. season — of the year
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. club — a group

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