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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 116 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: swing · clip · mark · bowl · pound · tube · perch · cabinet

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mark — a trace
  5. swing — music
  6. mark — a grade
  7. clip — a video
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pound — a weight
  15. tube — the underground
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. tube — a container
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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