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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: clip · race · swing · stem · key · pop · bear · roll

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. swing — in golf
  3. race — the arms race
  4. roll — a cake
  5. swing — to play on
  6. race — humankind
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pop — soda
  9. clip — a video
  10. pop — to visit
  11. clip — to cut
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pop — music
  14. key — in music
  15. race — a contest
  16. key — for a lock
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bear — the animal
  22. swing — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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