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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — magic
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bank — for money
  6. spell — letters
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. last — finally
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. face — to confront
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. spell — a short time
  18. last — to go on
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. last — final
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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