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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 120 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: shower · bay · clip · land · season · plane · leaves · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. clip — a video
  5. land — to come down
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. season — in sport
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. shower — to wash
  13. swing — to play on
  14. clip — for paper
  15. swing — music
  16. land — a country
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. plane — a tool
  19. shower — rain
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. land — ground
  23. season — of the year
  24. clip — to cut

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