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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: march · bowl · season · nail · prune · date · jam · spell

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — letters
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. prune — to trim
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. spell — magic
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. date — the fruit
  19. march — music
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bowl — a football final

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