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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: racket · file · hand · coach · wound · bound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a document
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. file — a line of people
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bound — certain
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — help
  16. file — a tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bound — obliged

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