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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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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: plane · shower · bound · field · swing · key · fan · lean

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. swing — to play on
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. field — a subject
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bound — tied together
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. lean — thin
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bound — certain
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. key — the most important part
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lean — to bend
  23. swing — music
  24. shower — rain

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