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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 120 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: ruler · swing · prune · bank · spring · mate · lean · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bank — of a river
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. content — happy
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — the season
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. swing — to play on
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mate — a friend
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. lean — thin
  17. mate — a partner
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bank — for money
  22. spring — of water
  23. bank — for money
  24. mate — to breed

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