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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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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: straw · swing · hide · ruler · prune · bowl · band · chair

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. prune — to trim
  5. swing — music
  6. band — a music group
  7. swing — to play on
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chair — a leader
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. swing — in golf
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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