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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. current — of water
  3. swing — to play on
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spring — the season
  13. current — happening now
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. spring — a coil
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. swing — music
  21. clip — a video
  22. current — electric
  23. spring — of water
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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