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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: spring · rush · wake · can · prune · jam · game · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wake — a trail
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. face — part of the head
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. spring — of water
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. game — a match
  17. prune — to trim
  18. game — wild animals
  19. can — to be able to
  20. prune — to trim
  21. face — to point toward
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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