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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: tear · swing · rock · squash · coach · pitcher · clip · stand

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. swing — to play on
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stand — to bear
  10. swing — music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. squash — to crush
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rock — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. swing — in golf
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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