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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: kick · swing · bowl · season · mine · prune · content · march

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. season — of the year
  3. content — the amount
  4. swing — music
  5. content — happy
  6. swing — to play on
  7. mine — for digging
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. season — in sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. march — the month
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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