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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. staff — employees
  3. swing — music
  4. bat — the animal
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. game — wild animals
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. staff — employees
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. game — a match
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wound — an injury
  19. prune — to trim
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wound — an injury
  22. swing — to play on
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. staff — a stick

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