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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: firm · cabinet · swing · current · clip · fine · leaves · roll

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fine — high quality
  3. firm — steady
  4. clip — a video
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — a list
  7. firm — a company
  8. roll — a cake
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. current — electric
  14. swing — music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. firm — decided
  17. current — of water
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fine — all right
  20. current — happening now
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. clip — for paper
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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