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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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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: swing · rest · racket · stem · plane · chip · present · straw

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. swing — to play on
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chip — to eat
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. swing — in golf
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. swing — music
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rest — a break
  15. chip — for betting
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rest — what's left
  19. present — the time now
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. present — a gift
  22. stem — to come from
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. rest — what's left

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