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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: swing · lean · key · hand · clip · track · bore · lash

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. key — for a lock
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. clip — a video
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. track — a song
  12. key — the most important part
  13. hand — in cards
  14. swing — in golf
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. swing — music
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bore — to drill
  21. lean — to bend
  22. key — in music
  23. lean — thin
  24. swing — to play on

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