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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 120 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. swing — music
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. season — in sport
  9. rash — a series
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — of the year
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rock — a stone
  18. charge — a price
  19. wind — moving air
  20. dip — to sink
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. charge — in control
  24. rock — music

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