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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: swing · suit · leaves · fan · ground · clip · straw · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. ground — crushed
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. ground — the earth
  7. suit — to fit
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. suit — clothes
  10. clip — a video
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. current — electric
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. swing — in golf
  16. current — happening now
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — a position
  19. clip — for paper
  20. suit — in cards
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. clip — to cut

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