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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 · trunk · lean · spell · kid · bound · cell · fan

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bound — certain
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. spell — magic
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cell — a phone
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. swing — music
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lean — thin
  19. kid — child
  20. spell — letters
  21. bound — tied together
  22. spell — a short time
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. lean — to bend

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