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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: wave · rest · board · stock · stick · lean · swing · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rest — a break
  4. stock — shares
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. board — to get on
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. stock — goods
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rest — what's left
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lean — thin
  22. swing — music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. board — a committee

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