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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. swing — in golf
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bear — the animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. swing — music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. swing — to play on
  17. face — part of the head
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. face — to confront
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. wave — of the sea

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