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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bound — obliged
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. last — final
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bound — tied together
  11. spring — of water
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. row — a line
  16. rush — hurry
  17. prune — to trim
  18. saw — the tool
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bound — certain

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