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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: trunk · last · bass · calf · file · prune · object · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. file — a document
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. object — an aim
  8. bass — low music
  9. last — finally
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. object — to protest
  19. last — to go on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — final
  22. file — a tool
  23. object — a thing
  24. file — a line of people

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