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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: lean · cabinet · swing · band · clip · pound · cap · mark

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lean — to bend
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. clip — to cut
  6. band — a music group
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. swing — music
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. lean — thin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mark — a grade
  19. band — a ring
  20. cap — a lid
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pound — to hit hard

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