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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: spring · mouse · swing · lean · game · bound · wind · wound

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spring — the season
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — of water
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. swing — in golf
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. game — a match
  18. wound — an injury
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bound — certain
  23. lean — thin
  24. spring — a coil

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