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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: prune · bear · kid · cell · swing · wake · foot · drill

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. foot — a measure
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wake — a trail
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. drill — army training
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. swing — music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. drill — a practice
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cell — a phone

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