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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: cap · clip · swing · bank · perch · suit · pitch · fall

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitch — completely
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. clip — to cut
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — clothes
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. clip — a video
  20. cap — a lid
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cap — of ice

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