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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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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: swing · scale · wound · ground · rush · stand · bore · season

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rush — hurry
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. season — of the year
  13. ground — a position
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. swing — to play on
  18. scale — size or range
  19. swing — music
  20. bore — to tire
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. swing — in golf

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