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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: firm · clip · bear · fan · swing · chest · racket · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. swing — to play on
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. chest — a box
  5. clip — a video
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. swing — music
  8. hand — in cards
  9. firm — decided
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. firm — a company
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. firm — steady
  21. clip — to cut
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — for paper
  24. chest — of your body

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