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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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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: leaves · chip · plane · swing · spring · land · pitcher · pass

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. swing — in golf
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. land — to come down
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. swing — music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. swing — to play on
  24. spring — the season

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