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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 120 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: rock · pitcher · bear · season · cue · prune · face · swing

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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. season — in sport
  2. rock — music
  3. face — to confront
  4. swing — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bear — the animal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. season — of the year
  16. swing — to play on
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  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