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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. swing — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. tube — the underground
  9. roll — a cake
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. shower — rain
  22. plane — a tool
  23. prune — to trim
  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