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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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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 · prune · stock · bear · content · dip · jam · deal

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. content — the amount
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stock — goods
  8. spring — a coil
  9. content — happy
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spring — of water
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — the season
  15. stock — shares
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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