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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: wound · tube · nail · swing · rock · bank · perch · kid

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. swing — music
  3. tube — a container
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bank — for money
  6. swing — to play on
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bank — for money
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bank — of a river
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wound — an injury
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kid — child
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rock — music
  24. nail — on a finger

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