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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 120 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: swing · prune · firm · rash · kid · dip · drill · straw

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. firm — steady
  5. drill — a practice
  6. dip — to sink
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. firm — decided
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. kid — to tease
  15. prune — to trim
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. drill — army training
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. kid — child
  20. prune — to trim
  21. swing — to play on
  22. firm — a company
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rash — a series

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