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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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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: bowl · craft · lean · ground · charge · row · chest · swing

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chest — of your body
  3. craft — a skill
  4. swing — to play on
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. craft — boats
  8. lean — thin
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. charge — in control
  12. row — a line
  13. charge — electricity
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. charge — a price
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chest — of your body
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. chest — a box

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