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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: prune · dip · clip · coach · object · jam · mine · calf

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — to protest
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. clip — a video
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. dip — to sink
  24. object — a thing

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