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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: cold · sharp · row · lean · jam · prune · mate · wake

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wake — a trail
  4. row — to paddle
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cold — not warm
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lean — thin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. row — a line
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lean — to bend
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mate — to breed
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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