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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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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: foot · swing · bark · pound · object · lean · clip · spring

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. object — a thing
  5. swing — music
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. clip — a video
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. clip — to cut
  13. swing — in golf
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. spring — of water
  17. bark — to shout
  18. swing — to play on
  19. spring — the season
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pound — a weight
  24. foot — the bottom

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