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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: bank · bulb · chest · rest · swing · prune · pitcher · straw

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bank — of a river
  6. chest — a box
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bank — for money
  10. rest — a break
  11. chest — of your body
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bank — for money
  17. prune — to trim
  18. swing — music
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rest — what's left

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