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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: sharp · rock · coach · swing · bound · hide · wound · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rock — a stone
  6. swing — music
  7. bound — certain
  8. rock — music
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bound — tied together
  11. swing — to play on
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bound — obliged
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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