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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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Word bank
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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: mug · jam · wake · bore · prune · bass · present · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bore — to tire
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. present — the time now
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bass — low music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mug — to rob
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. present — there
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bore — to drill
  24. present — a gift

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