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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: bear · perch · cap · swing · wound · mug · stand · track

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mug — a face
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. swing — in golf
  10. track — a song
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. swing — to play on
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cap — of ice
  18. perch — the fish
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mug — a cup
  21. track — a path
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. swing — music
  24. bear — the animal

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