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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 120 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: stem · swing · chair · tear · fine · object · trunk · bowl

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stem — to come from
  6. object — a thing
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. swing — music
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. swing — in golf
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. swing — to play on
  18. object — an aim
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. object — to protest
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tear — to rip

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