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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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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: current · arm · track · shower · straw · last · swing · bound

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bound — obliged
  3. last — finally
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. last — final
  7. bound — certain
  8. last — to go on
  9. bound — tied together
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. current — happening now
  13. shower — rain
  14. current — of water
  15. track — a song
  16. shower — to wash
  17. current — electric
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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