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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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mine — for digging
  4. swing — to play on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chair — a leader
  9. swing — in golf
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a music group
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. swing — music
  14. band — a ring
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. can — a tin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. can — to be able to

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