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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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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: bound · cell · dip · lean · bowl · fork · plane · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cell — a phone
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. lean — thin
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bound — certain
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fork — in a road
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. dip — to sink

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