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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pass — a permit
  3. swing — in golf
  4. clip — a video
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. band — a music group
  7. swing — music
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. spring — a coil
  11. band — a ring
  12. spring — the season
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. spring — of water
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. swing — to play on
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. clip — to cut
  24. saw — the tool

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