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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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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: season · tube · wave · mug · scale · trunk · swing · clip

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. swing — music
  3. tube — a container
  4. clip — for paper
  5. swing — to play on
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. swing — in golf
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. clip — to cut
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. season — of the year
  15. tube — the underground
  16. clip — a video
  17. mug — a cup
  18. season — in sport
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mug — to rob

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