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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: swing · bank · safe · season · spell · clip · bore · tube

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bank — for money
  3. swing — music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. swing — in golf
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. tube — a container
  8. swing — to play on
  9. season — in sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bore — to drill
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. season — of the year
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spell — letters
  22. clip — a video
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bank — of a river

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