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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: bank · rock · swing · chip · kick · wound · prune · jam

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bank — for money
  6. chip — to eat
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bank — for money
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. kick — in football
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. swing — to play on
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. chip — for betting

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