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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. swing — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rule — government
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cold — not warm
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cold — an illness
  24. prune — the fruit

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