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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. date — the fruit
  3. lean — thin
  4. track — a song
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. prune — to trim
  11. track — a path
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bound — certain
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mine — for digging
  19. track — to keep track
  20. prune — to trim
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bound — tied together

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