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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: cap · mug · jam · pop · date · kid · prune · bass

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. cap — of ice
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cap — a lid
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. prune — to trim
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mug — a face
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. prune — to trim
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bass — low music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. cap — a hat

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