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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: mate · wound · prune · face · court · swing · mug · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wound — an injury
  3. face — to confront
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mug — a cup
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wound — an injury
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. face — to point toward
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mug — to rob
  13. court — of a king
  14. craft — a skill
  15. prune — to trim
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mug — a face
  19. mate — a partner
  20. swing — music
  21. mate — a friend
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  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