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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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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: last · mine · bound · swing · plane · rest · hand · cap

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bound — obliged
  6. last — finally
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bound — certain
  9. swing — music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rest — a break
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. hand — in cards
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mine — for digging
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. hand — help

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