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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: racket · staff · land · ground · pass · swing · lean · bound

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bound — certain
  3. staff — employees
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ground — a position
  11. pass — a permit
  12. lean — to bend
  13. ground — the earth
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bound — tied together
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. ground — crushed

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