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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 · bank · toast · net · pop · bark · pitcher · swing

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bank — of a river
  3. swing — in golf
  4. clip — a video
  5. pop — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pop — soda
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. swing — music
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. net — after costs
  20. toast — bread
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pop — to visit

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