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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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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 · season · vault · rest · bowl · foot · leaves · jam

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. season — of the year
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rest — what's left
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. foot — a measure
  16. prune — to trim
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. prune — to trim
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rest — a break
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. season — in sport

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