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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: prune · land · bay · swing · ground · pass · kid · firm

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. firm — steady
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pass — a permit
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. land — a country
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. prune — to trim
  14. land — ground
  15. firm — decided
  16. ground — a position
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. swing — in golf
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. kid — child
  22. swing — music
  23. firm — a company
  24. kid — to tease

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