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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: fan · can · bay · clip · swing · stick · stem · cue

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. can — to be able to
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. clip — a video
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cue — a signal
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. can — a tin
  23. clip — for paper
  24. swing — music

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