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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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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: bore · object · squash · wound · rash · swing · plane · pitcher

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. object — to protest
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. object — an aim
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. object — a thing
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wound — an injury
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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