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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 116 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: ball · pop · swing · face · prune · wound · root · press

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pop — music
  4. swing — music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ball — a dance
  7. swing — in golf
  8. prune — to trim
  9. face — part of the head
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ball — a great time
  12. face — to confront
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. root — the cause
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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