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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · hand · can · date · bowl · snap · swing · prune

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. swing — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. swing — to play on
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. date — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. can — to be able to
  20. snap — to click
  21. swing — in golf
  22. can — a tin
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. can — a tin

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