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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: swing · jam · prune · mate · safe · field · plane · foot

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. swing — music
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. field — a subject
  5. foot — a measure
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mate — to breed
  10. prune — to trim
  11. swing — to play on
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — for sport
  18. mate — a friend
  19. swing — in golf
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. plane — in geometry

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