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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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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: bowl · bank · spring · prune · jam · charge · swing · tear

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. prune — to trim
  3. charge — electricity
  4. tear — from crying
  5. charge — a price
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bank — for money
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. swing — to play on
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bank — for money
  12. spring — of water
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. spring — a coil
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. spring — the season
  17. charge — in control
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bank — of a river
  22. swing — music
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bowl — a dish

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