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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · bore · mine · swing · rush · clip · wake · can

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rush — hurry
  6. can — a tin
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. clip — a video
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. can — a tin

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