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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: key · prune · chest · bowl · mate · bound · wave · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bound — certain
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mate — to breed
  6. chest — of your body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. swing — music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mate — a partner
  19. chest — a box
  20. swing — in golf
  21. key — in music
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wave — of the sea

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