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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. clip — a video
  3. bank — for money
  4. swing — in golf
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bank — for money
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. swing — music
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. fork — to eat with

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