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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. prune — to trim
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. track — a path
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. cold — an illness
  16. track — a song
  17. cold — not warm
  18. prune — to trim
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rock — music
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rock — a stone
  23. net — after costs
  24. nail — for a hammer

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