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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. swing — music
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. swing — in golf
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — thin
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. dip — to sink
  10. clip — a video
  11. prune — to trim
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. clip — for paper
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — the season
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. swing — to play on
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lean — to bend

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