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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: clip · march · bulb · charge · bank · swing · wound · track

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. charge — electricity
  4. march — the month
  5. bulb — for light
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a path
  8. clip — a video
  9. swing — music
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. swing — in golf
  14. track — a song
  15. march — music
  16. bank — for money
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — for paper
  19. charge — a price
  20. clip — to cut
  21. charge — in control
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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