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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.

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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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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: season · pass · race · bank · pit · net · arm · prune

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. race — humankind
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pit — a hole
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bank — for money
  8. season — of the year
  9. net — for catching
  10. pass — a permit
  11. net — after costs
  12. bank — of a river
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. race — a contest
  19. season — in sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. net — in sport
  24. pit — in a race

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