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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 120 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. clip — to cut
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rock — music
  7. clip — a video
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. clip — for paper
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. swing — music
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bark — to shout
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. racket — for tennis

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