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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: season · land · prune · vault · suit · jam · spring · game

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. spring — a coil
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. suit — in cards
  5. prune — to trim
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. game — a match
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spring — the season
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. suit — clothes
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. land — ground
  17. suit — to fit
  18. vault — a safe
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. game — wild animals
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. spring — of water

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