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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. swing — music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. swing — in golf
  14. spell — letters
  15. mug — a cup
  16. swing — to play on
  17. club — for golf
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. race — a contest
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fork — in a road
  23. club — a group
  24. mug — a face

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