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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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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 · bulb · key · lean · swing · wind · bore

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. key — for a lock
  5. lean — thin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. swing — in golf
  9. key — in music
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wind — moving air
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. swing — music
  15. dip — to sink
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bore — to drill
  23. key — the most important part
  24. dip — to dunk

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