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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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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: plane · mouse · spring · lean · swing · straw · net · current

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lean — to bend
  4. net — in sport
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. swing — to play on
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. current — of water
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. swing — music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. current — electric
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. spring — of water
  17. lean — thin
  18. current — happening now
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. net — for catching
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. swing — in golf
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. net — after costs

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