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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. swing — in golf
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. craft — boats
  7. prune — to trim
  8. craft — a skill
  9. stock — shares
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. stock — goods
  14. present — the time now
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. present — there
  19. swing — to play on
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. present — a gift
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. prune — to trim
  24. swing — 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