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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: prune · game · wave · track · lean · bear · hand · swing

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. hand — help
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. swing — in golf
  6. track — a path
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. track — a song
  12. lean — thin
  13. swing — music
  14. game — a match
  15. hand — in cards
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. prune — to trim
  23. track — to keep track
  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