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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: rash · bore · bound · tear · perch · bass · swing · current

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rash — a series
  9. current — electric
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bore — to drill
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. current — happening now
  17. swing — music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bass — low music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bound — certain
  24. current — of water

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