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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · safe · swing · pitcher · prune · spell · trunk · stand

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. spell — letters
  4. mate — to breed
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mate — a partner
  7. prune — to trim
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. stand — to bear
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. spell — a short time
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mate — a friend
  22. spell — magic
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. stand — on your feet

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