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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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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: straw · bound · present · swing · ruler · clip · coach · drill

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. present — the time now
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. drill — the tool
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. swing — music
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. clip — for paper
  10. swing — to play on
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. drill — army training
  13. present — a gift
  14. bound — certain
  15. drill — a practice
  16. swing — in golf
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. present — there
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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