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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: cabinet · stem · roll · date · clip · rush · dip · swing

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. swing — music
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. swing — to play on
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. roll — a list
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. clip — a video
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rush — hurry
  15. date — the fruit
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. swing — in golf
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. roll — a cake
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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