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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: prune · cold · deal · fine · jam · wake · bore · swing

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. fine — all right
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. swing — in golf
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fine — high quality
  18. swing — music
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. jam — in traffic

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