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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: wound · cell · prune · mouse · lie · charge · swing · leaves

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. prune — to trim
  13. swing — music
  14. charge — a price
  15. cell — a phone
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lie — an untruth

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