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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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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: prune · pound · saw · temple · spring · swing · pitcher · fan

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. spring — the season
  8. swing — to play on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pound — a weight
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. swing — music
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. swing — in golf
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spring — of water
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. saw — the tool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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