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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: bank · cue · clip · file · stem · perch · swing · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. chest — a box
  5. swing — in golf
  6. clip — a video
  7. file — a tool
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bank — for money
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. clip — to cut
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stem — to come from
  19. swing — music
  20. cue — a hint
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cue — a signal

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