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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: cap · mine · plane · fork · swing · trunk · bowl · shower

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cap — a lid
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. shower — to wash
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. swing — music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. swing — to play on
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. shower — rain
  24. plane — a tool

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