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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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468
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: pit · spring · cabinet · swing · rash · prune · bowl · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. present — there
  8. pit — a hole
  9. rash — hasty
  10. prune — to trim
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. swing — music
  20. spring — the season
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. swing — to play on
  23. present — a gift
  24. rash — a series

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