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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: leaves · firm · bark · file · fall · swing · clip · present

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. swing — to play on
  3. present — the time now
  4. clip — a video
  5. swing — in golf
  6. file — a tool
  7. present — a gift
  8. file — a document
  9. bark — to shout
  10. firm — a company
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fall — the season
  13. swing — music
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fall — to drop
  16. present — there
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. firm — decided
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. clip — to cut
  23. file — a line of people
  24. firm — steady

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