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

Word bank: kid · bowl · prune · last · deal · swing · bay · wave

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. deal — to handle
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. last — finally
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. swing — music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. swing — in golf

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