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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. clip — a video
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. swing — music
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. clip — for paper
  18. prune — to trim
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fork — in a road
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. swing — in golf
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. prune — to trim

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