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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 · ruler · kick · bowl · jam · field · key · tear

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. key — in music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tear — to rip
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. field — farmland
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. key — for a lock
  11. tear — from crying
  12. prune — to trim
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. key — the most important part
  20. kick — in football
  21. field — a subject
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. prune — the fruit

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