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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. tear — to rip
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — a subject
  5. tube — the underground
  6. ground — crushed
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. suit — to fit
  10. swing — to play on
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. swing — music
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. tear — from crying
  19. suit — clothes
  20. tube — a container
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. suit — in cards
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. swing — in golf

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