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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 120 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: pound · wind · clip · pass · wound · fan · swing · vault

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wind — moving air
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. clip — for paper
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. swing — music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pass — a permit
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. clip — a video

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