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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
468
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: swing · mug · firm · capital · tear · net · wound · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. net — after costs
  6. capital — money
  7. wound — an injury
  8. swing — in golf
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mug — to rob
  12. swing — music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. firm — decided
  15. net — in sport
  16. swing — to play on
  17. firm — a company
  18. mug — a face
  19. firm — steady
  20. capital — a city
  21. net — for catching
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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