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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: kick · branch · firm · racket · swing · clip · tube · can

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. swing — in golf
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. swing — to play on
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. firm — decided
  12. can — a tin
  13. kick — in football
  14. swing — music
  15. can — to be able to
  16. clip — to cut
  17. can — a tin
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. clip — for paper
  20. firm — steady
  21. tube — a container
  22. clip — a video
  23. tube — the underground
  24. firm — a company

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