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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: field · prune · chair · row · jam · dip · pass · rule

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. field — a subject
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pass — a permit
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. row — to paddle
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rule — a law
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. dip — to sink
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. rule — government
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. row — a line
  24. chair — to sit on

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