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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: wake · pop · lie · prune · ruler · jam · game · mark

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. pop — music
  3. wake — a trail
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mark — a trace
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mark — a grade
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pop — soda
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. game — wild animals

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