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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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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: lean · cap · swing · mug · squash · net · wake · plane

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. lean — thin
  3. mug — a cup
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mug — a face
  7. swing — music
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. swing — in golf
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. net — in sport
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cap — of ice
  18. net — for catching
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. net — after costs
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cap — a hat
  24. squash — the vegetable

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