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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: swing · perch · wax · deal · stick · spring · prune · chip

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. swing — to play on
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. spring — the season
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. chip — to eat
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wax — to grow
  13. swing — music
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chip — for betting
  18. perch — the fish
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. spring — a coil
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. spring — of water

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