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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: jam · bore · chest · prune · spring · wax · bound · cue

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. spring — of water
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cue — for pool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. chest — a box
  12. spring — the season
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cue — a hint
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bound — certain

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