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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: clip · bass · cue · present · club · squash · arm · lean

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. present — there
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. club — for golf
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. squash — the sport
  13. present — a gift
  14. bass — the fish
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lean — thin
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. clip — for paper
  19. club — for dancing
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. clip — a video
  22. present — the time now
  23. squash — to crush
  24. club — a group

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