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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: swing · racket · bulb · ground · band · lean · ruler · clip

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. clip — for paper
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. band — a music group
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bulb — for light
  11. clip — a video
  12. ground — a position
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. swing — in golf
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lean — thin
  18. clip — to cut
  19. band — a ring
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lean — to bend
  22. swing — music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bulb — for light

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