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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: bore · prune · pit · jam · wake · toast · ball · last

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. prune — to trim
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. last — to go on
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. last — finally
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bore — to drill
  11. last — final
  12. wake — a trail
  13. toast — bread
  14. ball — a great time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. ball — a dance

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