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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: staff · content · swing · stick · wind · prune · spring · stand

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. swing — music
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. staff — a stick
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. swing — to play on
  10. staff — employees
  11. stand — to bear
  12. wind — moving air
  13. staff — employees
  14. spring — the season
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. content — the amount
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. wind — moving air
  24. content — happy

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