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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kick · mine · swing · plane · pop · capital · fall · bound

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fall — to drop
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fall — the season
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pop — music
  9. capital — money
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. capital — a city
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bound — tied together
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bound — certain
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bound — obliged
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. swing — music
  24. kick — in football

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