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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: lean · wave · clip · root · jam · track · bound · swing

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bound — tied together
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. track — a path
  6. lean — thin
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bound — obliged
  9. swing — music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. clip — a video
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. root — of a word
  14. clip — for paper
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bound — certain
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. root — of a plant
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. track — a song
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. track — to keep track
  24. root — the cause

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