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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: toast · bound · shower · race · squash · prune · key · jam

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. shower — rain
  5. prune — to trim
  6. race — a contest
  7. squash — to crush
  8. toast — bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bound — certain
  13. key — for a lock
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bound — obliged
  21. prune — to trim
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bound — tied together
  24. key — in music

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