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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · pop · swing · face · prune · wound

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pop — music
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pop — soda
  16. wound — an injury
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — to confront

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