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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: cell · saw · chip · plane · tear · swing · stem · bound

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cell — a phone
  4. chip — for betting
  5. tear — from crying
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cell — in biology
  8. saw — the tool
  9. plane — a tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stem — to come from
  13. swing — to play on
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bound — certain
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. swing — music
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stem — of a plant

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