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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: perch · wound · deal · wind · straw · season · firm · coach

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wound — an injury
  7. firm — a company
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. firm — decided
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. wind — moving air
  14. firm — steady
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. deal — to handle
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. perch — for a bird

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