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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: lean · clip · ground · snap · swing · tube · spell · ruler

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. tube — a container
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lean — thin
  8. snap — to click
  9. clip — for paper
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ground — the earth
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ground — crushed
  15. tube — the underground
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spell — letters
  18. lean — to bend
  19. ground — a position
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lean — to rest against

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