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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: bat · chair · wave · can · bore · swing · craft · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. swing — music
  5. fall — the season
  6. can — a tin
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. chair — a leader
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. craft — boats
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bore — to tire
  21. can — a tin
  22. bore — to drill
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bat — for baseball

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