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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. swing — in golf
  3. season — of the year
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. present — a gift
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. present — the time now
  9. spring — of water
  10. content — happy
  11. snap — to click
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. present — there
  15. spring — a coil
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. content — the amount
  18. season — in sport
  19. spring — the season
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. prune — to trim
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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