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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: toast · jam · object · dip · prune · clip · content · bore

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. clip — for paper
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. toast — bread
  11. content — happy
  12. object — to protest
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. object — a thing
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. content — the amount
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bore — to drill
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. clip — a video
  24. jam — in traffic

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