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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: wave · rule · squash · mate · swing · prune · wind · jam

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rule — government
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. squash — to crush
  7. swing — in golf
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. swing — to play on
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mate — a friend
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — a law
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wind — moving air
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. swing — music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wave — of the sea

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