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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 · wound · temple · pop · pitch · spell · plane · bore

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. spell — magic
  4. bore — to tire
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pop — soda
  12. swing — music
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. plane — a tool
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pop — music
  24. plane — an aircraft

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