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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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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: wake · kid · clip · staff · wave · swing · track · bear

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. staff — employees
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. staff — employees
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. swing — in golf
  9. kid — to tease
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. track — a path
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. kid — child
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. swing — music
  24. clip — to cut

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