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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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468
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: craft · club · clip · mouse · squash · wake · leaves · swing

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. club — a group
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wake — a trail
  9. club — for dancing
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. club — for golf
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. craft — boats
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. craft — a skill
  24. squash — the sport

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