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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: prune · spring · mate · jam · ball · land · roll · swing

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. swing — in golf
  3. roll — a list
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. mate — to breed
  6. ball — a dance
  7. mate — a friend
  8. spring — of water
  9. land — to come down
  10. swing — music
  11. mate — a partner
  12. land — ground
  13. spring — the season
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ball — a great time
  17. spring — a coil
  18. swing — to play on
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. land — a country
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. roll — a cake

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