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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: can · last · season · club · spell · prune · spring · fall

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. club — for golf
  3. can — a tin
  4. season — of the year
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. can — a tin
  10. club — a group
  11. can — to be able to
  12. spell — letters
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. club — for dancing
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spell — magic
  19. last — to go on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spring — the season

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