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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: swing · saw · object · pop · club · wave · deal · prune

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. club — a group
  6. pop — to visit
  7. swing — in golf
  8. deal — to handle
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — an aim
  11. saw — the tool
  12. object — to protest
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. swing — music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. saw — the tool
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. object — a thing
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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