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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: roll · bank · dip · jam · date · prune · cold · lie

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bank — for money
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. date — the fruit
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bank — for money
  13. dip — to sink
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bank — of a river
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cold — an illness
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cold — not warm
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. lie — to recline

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