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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. band — a ring
  3. clip — a video
  4. current — of water
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pass — a permit
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. current — happening now
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. current — electric
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. band — a music group
  18. swing — to play on
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. swing — in golf
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. swing — music
  24. calf — a young animal

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