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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: mark · prune · board · sharp · band · jam · mine · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mark — a grade
  5. band — a music group
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. pit — a hole
  8. board — a committee
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pit — in a race
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mine — for digging
  17. board — to get on
  18. band — a ring
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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