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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 · cue · jam · stand · rash · straw · cap · perch

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cap — a lid
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. cue — a signal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cap — a hat
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. prune — to trim
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stand — to bear

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