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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · swing · lean · bark · clip · charge · prune · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. lean — to bend
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bark — to shout
  7. swing — in golf
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. prune — to trim
  11. charge — in control
  12. swing — to play on
  13. prune — to trim
  14. charge — a price
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. staff — employees
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. staff — employees
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bark — of a tree
  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