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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: prune · club · leaves · march · date · board · straw · jam

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. board — a committee
  6. club — a group
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. date — the fruit
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. club — for dancing
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. prune — to trim
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. march — the month
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. board — to get on
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. prune — to trim
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. leaves — of a tree

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