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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: bass · track · jam · prune · drill · mug · last · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bass — the fish
  4. last — final
  5. prune — to trim
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bass — low music
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. present — the time now
  10. drill — army training
  11. track — a song
  12. drill — a practice
  13. last — finally
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mug — a face
  16. prune — to trim
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. present — there
  20. last — to go on
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. mug — to rob
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. track — a path

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