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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: prune · mouse · roll · spring · file · season · jam · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. file — a tool
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. file — a document
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. season — in sport
  14. last — to go on
  15. season — of the year
  16. roll — a list
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. last — finally
  22. roll — a cake
  23. prune — to trim
  24. roll — on a roll

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