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

Word bank: file · swing · wind · bound · pound · clip · bulb · fine

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fine — all right
  6. clip — to cut
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bulb — for light
  9. swing — music
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a document
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. file — a tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fine — high quality
  24. swing — to play on

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