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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: perch · swing · straw · spring · bound · wound · suit · content

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. content — the amount
  4. swing — music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bound — tied together
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bound — certain
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. perch — the fish
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spring — the season
  17. content — happy
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wound — an injury
  20. swing — to play on
  21. spring — of water
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. suit — clothes
  24. 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