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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: stand · cap · ground · saw · wind · swing · coach · prune

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wind — moving air
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cap — a lid
  8. prune — to trim
  9. swing — music
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. swing — to play on
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ground — a position
  15. wind — moving air
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stand — to bear
  20. saw — the tool
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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