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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bore · cap · clip · bear · prune · last · jam · mouse

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bore — to drill
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — final
  11. clip — a video
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. cap — of ice
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bore — to tire
  22. clip — to cut
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mouse — for a computer

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