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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: bowl · dip · snap · prune · march · swing · spring · bank

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. swing — in golf
  3. march — music
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. spring — a coil
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. march — the month
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. spring — of water
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. spring — the season
  24. march — the month

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