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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · current · swing · ball · bound · deal · tear · perch

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — of water
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ball — a great time
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. swing — music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wound — an injury
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. current — happening now
  15. bound — certain
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bound — obliged
  19. perch — the fish
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. deal — to handle
  24. current — electric

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