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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: dip · cell · hand · swing · bulb · kick · land · mug

  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. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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. swing — to play on
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bulb — for light
  9. land — a country
  10. dip — to sink
  11. mug — a face
  12. hand — help
  13. land — to come down
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. kick — in football
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. hand — in cards
  24. land — ground

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