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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. track — to keep track
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — to trim
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. content — the amount
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. content — happy
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wake — a trail
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bore — to drill
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. wake — before a funeral

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