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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.

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: bound · key · wind · row · bass · clip · spring · swing

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. swing — music
  3. row — to paddle
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. clip — a video
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bass — the fish
  9. swing — in golf
  10. row — a line
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spring — of water
  13. bass — low music
  14. clip — for paper
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spring — the season
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. swing — to play on
  22. spring — a coil
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bound — tied together

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