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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: row · sharp · roll · swing · wind · clip · bulb · pop

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pop — soda
  5. wind — moving air
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. row — a line
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. clip — a video
  10. pop — to visit
  11. swing — music
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. swing — in golf
  15. roll — a list
  16. sharp — clever
  17. roll — a cake
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — to paddle
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pop — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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