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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 116 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: wind · stick · spring · capital · safe · prune · track · swing

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. swing — in golf
  4. prune — to trim
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spring — a coil
  7. track — a path
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. capital — money
  12. spring — the season
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. track — to keep track
  16. swing — to play on
  17. track — a song
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. swing — music
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. spring — of water
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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