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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. spring — of water
  6. court — of a king
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. court — for sport
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. court — of law
  13. squash — to crush
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. prune — to trim
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rule — a law
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. prune — to trim
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rule — government
  24. patient — a sick person

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