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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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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: chest · root · prune · season · swing · present · toast · deal

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. swing — in golf
  3. deal — to handle
  4. chest — of your body
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. swing — music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. root — of a word
  11. chest — of your body
  12. toast — bread
  13. present — a gift
  14. root — of a plant
  15. prune — to trim
  16. season — of the year
  17. root — the cause
  18. chest — a box
  19. season — in sport
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. swing — to play on
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. prune — to trim

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