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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rock — a stone
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. swing — music
  7. lie — to recline
  8. prune — to trim
  9. swing — in golf
  10. court — for sport
  11. spring — a coil
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pit — a hole
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rock — music
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spring — the season
  21. pit — in a race
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. spring — of water

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