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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: craft · swing · prune · snap · leaves · date · trunk · bowl

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. date — the fruit
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. swing — to play on
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. craft — a skill
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. snap — to click
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. prune — to trim
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. craft — boats

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