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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. hand — help
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. squash — the sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — employees
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fall — the season
  15. swing — in golf
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fall — to drop
  19. swing — music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. swing — to play on
  24. staff — employees

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