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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. swing — to play on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. suit — clothes
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. swing — music
  7. file — a document
  8. bound — tied together
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bound — certain
  15. bass — low music
  16. tube — a container
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — in cards
  21. wind — moving air
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. tube — in a tire

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