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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: mug · lean · cell · object · mate · trunk · swing · game

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. object — an aim
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mug — to rob
  8. game — a match
  9. lean — thin
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. object — to protest
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mug — a cup
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mug — a face
  20. mate — a friend
  21. object — a thing
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cell — in biology

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