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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 120 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: pass · clip · plane · wind · current · swing · pitcher · kid

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. clip — to cut
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. clip — a video
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. current — electric
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — child
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wind — moving air
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. current — happening now
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. swing — to play on
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. clip — for paper
  21. current — of water
  22. swing — music
  23. plane — a tool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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