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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · stick · spring · swing · branch · clip · bay · fine

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. ground — a position
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. spring — a coil
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. branch — a division
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spring — the season
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. ground — the earth
  24. swing — music

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