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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. swing — in golf
  5. prune — to trim
  6. row — a line
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. chair — a leader
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. spring — the season
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. toast — bread
  14. row — to paddle
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. swing — music
  18. deal — to handle
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. swing — to play on
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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