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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bear — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. degree — temperature
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. jam — a tight spot

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