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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 · stick · fan · track · patient · race · hide · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. track — to keep track
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. track — a song
  12. race — a contest
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. track — a path
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. jam — in traffic

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