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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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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: wax · bound · pit · swing · clip · hand · bowl · stick

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. clip — a video
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wax — to grow
  9. hand — help
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bound — tied together
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bound — certain
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. swing — music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wax — in the ear

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