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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.

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: rest · season · ball · saw · rash · content · prune · race

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. race — a contest
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. content — happy
  5. race — humankind
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. ball — a great time
  12. season — of the year
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rash — a series
  15. race — the arms race
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ball — a dance
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rash — hasty
  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