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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.

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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: pound · swing · field · rule · bear · clip · net · bank

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. field — for sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bear — the animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. bank — of a river
  10. rule — a law
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. net — for catching
  14. swing — music
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. field — a subject
  18. rule — government
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. field — farmland
  22. bank — for money
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bear — to put up with

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