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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: deal · swing · net · wave · band · prune · fork · chair

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. deal — to handle
  6. fork — in a road
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. swing — music
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. band — a music group
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. net — in sport
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. net — for catching
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. swing — to play on
  24. net — after costs

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