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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: drill · straw · prune · deal · track · leaves · bowl · jam

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. prune — to trim
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. prune — to trim
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. track — to keep track
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. drill — army training
  16. track — a path
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. track — a song

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