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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: clip · ruler · band · cap · chip · lean · swing · hide

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cap — a lid
  4. clip — to cut
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. clip — a video
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. lean — thin
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cap — of ice
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. clip — for paper
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cap — a hat
  22. swing — in golf
  23. band — a music group
  24. chip — for betting

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