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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mug — a face
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. swing — music
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. net — after costs
  20. mug — to rob
  21. band — a music group
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a ring
  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