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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 · rock · mouse · saw · mine · bat · plane · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. plane — a tool
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mine — for digging
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — to play on
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. swing — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mouse — for a computer

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