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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 116 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 · bound · lie · dip · wound · stem · plane · scale

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bound — certain
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. lie — to recline
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bound — obliged
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stem — to come from
  16. scale — in music
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. plane — a tool
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bound — tied together
  24. plane — in geometry

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