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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: bore · swing · mug · cap · ground · club · prune · shower

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cap — of ice
  3. prune — to trim
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cap — a lid
  6. swing — music
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mug — a face
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bore — to tire
  13. club — a group
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. prune — to trim
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ground — crushed
  22. shower — rain
  23. bore — to drill
  24. ground — the earth

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