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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: capital · bore · lean · jam · bound · prune · kid · roll

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bound — tied together
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bound — certain
  6. lean — thin
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bound — obliged
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. kid — child
  11. roll — a cake
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. capital — a city
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. lean — to bend
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. prune — to trim
  22. roll — a list
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. prune — the fruit

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