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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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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: cap · swing · bound · chest · bowl · can · stem · stick

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cap — of ice
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bound — certain
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. can — a tin
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. swing — music
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — a box
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. chest — of your body
  20. can — to be able to
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bound — obliged
  24. swing — to play on

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