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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: kid · wound · swing · cue · coach · bear · can · date

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. can — a tin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wound — an injury
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — child
  18. can — a tin
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. can — to be able to
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. swing — to play on

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