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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: chair · prune · pass · lean · fall · jam · mine · fork

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fall — the season
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fall — to drop
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. lean — to bend
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lean — thin
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. chair — a professorship

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