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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 120 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: saw · pitcher · temple · swing · wound · stem · clip · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. clip — a video
  3. swing — in golf
  4. clip — to cut
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. swing — music
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. clip — for paper
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wound — an injury
  21. swing — to play on
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — to come from

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