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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: wound · plane · swing · cabinet · content · bear · band · straw

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bear — the animal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. content — happy
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. content — the amount
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. band — a music group
  19. swing — music
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. band — a ring

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