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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fine — high quality
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stem — to come from
  7. swing — to play on
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. file — a tool
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. fork — in a road
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. file — a document
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. swing — music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. fine — all right
  24. stem — a stem cell

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