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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 · bay · club · swing · bass · hand · safe · cell

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. hand — in cards
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. club — for golf
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bass — low music
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. swing — music
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. hand — help
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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