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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: chair · mark · nail · swing · prune · stick · cell · season

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cell — in biology
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mark — a grade
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. season — of the year
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. season — in sport
  17. mark — a trace
  18. swing — music
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cell — a phone
  24. nail — for a hammer

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