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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 116 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: court · tear · rush · prune · face · pound · season · pass

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pass — a permit
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. season — in sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. face — to confront
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rush — hurry
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. court — for sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. tear — from crying
  21. prune — to trim
  22. face — part of the head
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pass — to succeed

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