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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: prune · trunk · bound · jam · field · bowl · fork · net

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. field — farmland
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — in a road
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. field — for sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. net — in sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bound — certain
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. net — after costs

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