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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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Word bank
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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: fall · spring · bear · swing · prune · racket · stock · kick

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. stock — shares
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bear — the animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kick — in football
  9. stock — goods
  10. spring — of water
  11. fall — to drop
  12. swing — music
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. spring — the season
  18. fall — the season
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. spring — a coil
  21. swing — to play on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. racket — for tennis
  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