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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: wind · hide · swing · prune · fork · saw · chip · current

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. swing — in golf
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. swing — to play on
  9. chip — to eat
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chip — for betting
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. swing — music
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. current — electric
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hide — to keep secret

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