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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: wind · stem · cabinet · plane · rock · swing · temple · sharp

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rock — music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wind — moving air
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. swing — music
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rock — a stone
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stem — to come from
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. swing — in golf
  24. sharp — with an edge

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