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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: swing · wind · prune · club · spring · spell · suit · fall

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. fall — the season
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fall — to drop
  6. suit — to fit
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. fall — to drop
  10. swing — music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — letters
  14. club — for golf
  15. swing — in golf
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. club — a group
  21. spring — of water
  22. suit — in cards
  23. spring — the season
  24. swing — to play on

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