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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · patient · prune · stand · jam · rest · press · band

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. tear — from crying
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rest — what's left
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. band — a ring
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. press — a publisher
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. press — to push
  15. tear — from crying
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rest — a break
  22. band — a music group
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. rest — what's left

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