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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: bank · capital · lean · file · wave · clip · calf · swing

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. clip — a video
  4. lean — thin
  5. bank — of a river
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. swing — in golf
  8. file — a tool
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bank — for money
  13. file — a line of people
  14. capital — a city
  15. file — a document
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. clip — to cut
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. clip — for paper
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. swing — music
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bank — for money

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