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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: row · stand · court · prune · spell · swing · fork · present

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. present — there
  3. swing — music
  4. spell — a short time
  5. court — of a king
  6. prune — to trim
  7. row — a line
  8. spell — letters
  9. stand — to bear
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fork — in a road
  13. spell — magic
  14. swing — to play on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. court — of law
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. present — the time now
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. present — a gift
  24. stand — on your feet

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