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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 116 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: bound · swing · rest · clip · tear · staff · net · pass

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rest — what's left
  6. net — for catching
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bound — obliged
  9. staff — employees
  10. bound — tied together
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. swing — to play on
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rest — a break
  19. net — after costs
  20. tear — from crying
  21. net — in sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bound — certain

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