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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · jam · straw · march · field · prune · saw · rock

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. rock — a stone
  3. march — music
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. field — a subject
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cell — a phone
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. saw — the tool
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in biology
  13. march — the month
  14. field — for sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — farmland
  23. rock — music
  24. cell — in a prison

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