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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 116 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: swing · wind · track · straw · coach · stand · snap · ground

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. track — a path
  6. swing — in golf
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. track — a song
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stand — to bear
  12. ground — a position
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. snap — to click
  18. track — to keep track
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ground — the earth
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. stand — for spectators

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