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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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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: prune · lie · swing · scale · stick · pitcher · race · cold

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cold — an illness
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cold — not warm
  8. scale — in music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. scale — size or range
  12. swing — in golf
  13. prune — to trim
  14. race — humankind
  15. lie — to recline
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. race — a contest
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lie — an untruth

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