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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: swing · mouse · staff · game · wax · bass · trunk · clip

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. game — a match
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bass — low music
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. clip — a video
  19. bass — the fish
  20. staff — employees
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. swing — music
  23. game — wild animals
  24. swing — in golf

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