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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: leaves · club · bowl · jam · bark · swing · clip · kick

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. clip — a video
  7. club — for dancing
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. bark — to shout
  11. club — a group
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. clip — for paper
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. club — for golf
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. jam — in traffic

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