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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · trunk · bound · foot · arm · swing · clip · straw

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. swing — in golf
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. clip — to cut
  8. swing — music
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. clip — for paper
  12. key — the most important part
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. key — in music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. foot — a measure
  19. clip — a video
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bound — certain
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bound — obliged

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