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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: swing · cabinet · board · file · spell · spring · prune · plane

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. plane — a tool
  7. file — a tool
  8. swing — to play on
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. swing — in golf
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — magic
  17. board — a committee
  18. file — a line of people
  19. board — to get on
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. swing — music
  22. spell — letters
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. file — a document

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