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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: deal · date · cap · ground · content · prune · season · foot

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. foot — a measure
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cap — a hat
  6. deal — to handle
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. ground — crushed
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. date — the fruit
  14. ground — a position
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — the earth
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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