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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: wound · swing · court · content · stand · bulb · degree · lash

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. swing — music
  8. court — of law
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. swing — to play on
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — happy
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stand — to bear
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bulb — for light
  21. court — of a king
  22. content — the amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. court — for sport

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