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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 · swing · bore · chair · pop · hand · rock · bear

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pop — soda
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hand — help
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pop — music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pop — to visit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rock — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bore — to drill

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