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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: mouse · stem · swing · fall · wind · scale · plane · lie

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fall — the season
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. plane — a tool
  11. swing — music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. scale — in music
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. scale — size or range
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. wind — to turn a key

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