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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: rest · date · current · degree · bay · lean · jam · prune

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. degree — temperature
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. lean — to bend
  5. degree — from a university
  6. current — electric
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lean — thin
  13. rest — a break
  14. prune — to trim
  15. current — of water
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. degree — an amount
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rest — what's left
  21. current — happening now
  22. rest — what's left
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bay — a horse colour

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