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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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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: toast · safe · swing · spring · pound · branch · bay · clip

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. swing — in golf
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spring — of water
  10. swing — music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. branch — a division
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. clip — to cut
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. swing — to play on
  22. spring — a coil
  23. clip — a video
  24. spring — the season

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