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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. squash — to crush
  3. present — there
  4. suit — to fit
  5. cell — in biology
  6. present — a gift
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wax — to grow
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. present — the time now
  12. suit — clothes
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cell — a phone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. band — a ring
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. squash — the sport
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. swing — music
  24. band — a music group

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