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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: swing · lash · capital · clip · stem · roll · track · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. track — a song
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. track — to keep track
  11. roll — a cake
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. swing — to play on
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stem — to come from
  18. capital — a city
  19. clip — to cut
  20. track — a path
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. roll — a list
  23. capital — money
  24. clip — a video

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