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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: rash · track · wind · pitcher · firm · wound · wake · swing

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. track — a song
  4. firm — steady
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. track — to keep track
  12. firm — a company
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. swing — music
  16. firm — decided
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. track — a path
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wound — an injury

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