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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: bank · mine · clip · march · mug · lean · swing · lie

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. clip — to cut
  3. swing — music
  4. mug — a face
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. march — the month
  8. clip — a video
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bank — of a river
  12. lean — to bend
  13. swing — to play on
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lean — thin
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bank — for money
  19. mug — to rob
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. bank — for money
  24. clip — for paper

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