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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. swing — in golf
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. snap — to click
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. present — a gift
  12. band — a music group
  13. present — the time now
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. present — there
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. band — a ring
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. swing — to play on

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