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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: wound · swing · bore · pass · bay · chest · clip · pound

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. clip — to cut
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. swing — to play on
  16. clip — a video
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pound — a weight
  19. chest — a box
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wound — an injury
  23. swing — music
  24. pound — to hit hard

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