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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: band · swing · fall · bay · straw · roll · prune · sharp

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fall — to drop
  6. sharp — clever
  7. swing — in golf
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fall — to drop
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. band — a music group
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — the season
  18. band — a ring
  19. roll — a list
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — exactly

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