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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: drill · tube · board · jam · face · stock · present · prune

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. stock — goods
  5. face — to confront
  6. board — a committee
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. present — a gift
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. present — the time now
  11. board — to get on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. face — to point toward
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. prune — to trim
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. stock — shares
  20. face — part of the head
  21. tube — a container
  22. present — there
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. tube — the underground

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