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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: rush · deal · prune · swing · jam · last · firm · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. firm — steady
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. field — a subject
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. last — finally
  8. field — for sport
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rush — hurry
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. firm — a company
  13. swing — in golf
  14. prune — to trim
  15. swing — music
  16. last — to go on
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. last — final
  20. swing — to play on
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. firm — decided

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