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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: bowl · shower · pass · plane · cell · branch · trunk · swing

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. swing — in golf
  3. branch — a division
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. swing — to play on
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cell — a phone
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pass — a permit
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cell — in biology
  16. shower — rain
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. shower — to wash
  21. swing — music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. trunk — of a tree

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