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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: lean · game · swing · wake · club · stick · plane · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. lean — to bend
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. object — to protest
  8. club — for dancing
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lean — thin
  12. object — an aim
  13. game — wild animals
  14. club — a group
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. club — for golf
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. game — a match
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. swing — in golf

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