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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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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wax — to grow
  5. swing — music
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bank — for money
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. clip — a video
  12. season — of the year
  13. bank — for money
  14. swing — to play on
  15. season — in sport
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bank — of a river
  24. clip — to cut

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