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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: swing · saw · face · stem · charge · fork · bound · chest

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. swing — in golf
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. charge — in control
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. face — to point toward
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fork — in a road
  10. charge — a price
  11. bound — obliged
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chest — a box
  18. charge — electricity
  19. face — to confront
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stem — to come from
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bound — certain

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