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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. present — a gift
  3. rash — a series
  4. swing — music
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. present — the time now
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pop — to visit
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — certain
  17. swing — to play on
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rash — hasty
  20. swing — in golf
  21. hand — help
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. present — there
  24. prune — to trim

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