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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 120 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: bound · coach · stick · shower · fall · chip · current · swing

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. current — electric
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fall — to drop
  5. swing — to play on
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fall — the season
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. current — happening now
  17. shower — rain
  18. swing — music
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bound — certain
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. current — of water

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