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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.

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: cold · season · rest · rock · prune · leaves · drill · ball

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. season — in sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. drill — a practice
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cold — not warm
  12. drill — army training
  13. ball — a dance
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. prune — to trim
  19. drill — the tool
  20. ball — a great time
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rest — a break

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