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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · season · bowl · leaves · racket · rash · last · prune

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. season — in sport
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rash — a series
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. last — finally
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. last — final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. last — to go on
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. racket — for tennis

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