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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 116 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: bound · swing · cell · racket · bear · fork · mine · squash

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bound — certain
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. swing — music
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fork — in a road
  21. squash — the sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bound — obliged

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