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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. swing — music
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pop — music
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. prune — to trim
  13. root — of a word
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. prune — to trim
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fine — high quality
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bulb — for light
  20. root — the cause
  21. pop — to visit
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — soda

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