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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: swing · roll · wind · clip · band · sharp · suit · vault

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — clever
  3. clip — for paper
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. swing — music
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. roll — a list
  9. clip — to cut
  10. suit — clothes
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. band — a ring
  13. clip — a video
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. swing — to play on
  20. suit — in cards
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wind — moving air
  23. suit — to fit
  24. roll — a cake

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