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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: bat · lean · deal · prune · bound · face · swing · pitcher

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bat — the animal
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bound — certain
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. face — to confront
  15. deal — to handle
  16. lean — thin
  17. swing — in golf
  18. lean — to bend
  19. swing — music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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