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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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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: stick · clip · staff · swing · deal · march · bound · root

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. swing — in golf
  3. march — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. root — of a plant
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bound — tied together
  10. march — the month
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bound — obliged
  13. clip — a video
  14. bound — certain
  15. march — the month
  16. staff — employees
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. root — of a word
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. deal — to handle
  22. clip — to cut
  23. swing — music
  24. root — the cause

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