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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: mine · season · rule · rush · pit · row · prune · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. season — in sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rule — a law
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mine — for digging
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pit — in a race
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rule — government
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. row — a line
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. season — of the year
  24. row — to paddle

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