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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. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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. pitcher — in baseball
  5. race — a contest
  6. spring — a coil
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. spring — the season
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. snap — to click
  13. spring — of water
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. race — humankind
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pop — to visit
  24. swing — music

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