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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: jam · bore · calf · press · squash · capital · prune · spring

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bore — to tire
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bore — to drill
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. press — newspapers
  9. spring — a coil
  10. squash — the sport
  11. capital — money
  12. spring — of water
  13. capital — a city
  14. spring — the season
  15. prune — to trim
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. prune — to trim

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