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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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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 · march · key · kid · can · jam · bulb · game

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. can — a tin
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kid — child
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. can — to be able to
  18. game — a match
  19. kid — to tease
  20. prune — to trim
  21. march — the month
  22. can — a tin
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — music

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