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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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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: prune · swing · stock · pass · bound · ball · fall · spell

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fall — the season
  4. swing — to play on
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. spell — magic
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. spell — a short time
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. spell — letters
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bound — tied together
  18. swing — music
  19. pass — a permit
  20. fall — to drop
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bound — certain
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stock — a soup base

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