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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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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: racket · lash · wind · swing · clip · object · key · leaves

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. swing — music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. object — a thing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. key — the most important part
  15. object — an aim
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. key — for a lock
  19. clip — a video
  20. object — to protest
  21. key — in music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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