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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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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 · mark · present · lean · fine · band · safe · clip

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. lean — to bend
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fine — high quality
  12. present — there
  13. swing — in golf
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. band — a music group
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. lean — thin
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fine — all right
  23. swing — music
  24. band — a ring

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