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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · bound · last · straw · nail · current · kid · swing

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. swing — to play on
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. swing — music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. bound — certain
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. last — to go on
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. current — happening now
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. swing — in golf

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