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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: roll · date · straw · bulb · rule · clip · leaves · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. clip — a video
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. bulb — for light
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. clip — for paper
  14. swing — music
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. clip — to cut
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. roll — a list
  19. bulb — for light
  20. roll — a cake
  21. swing — in golf
  22. date — the fruit
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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