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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: swing · wound · current · ruler · straw · lie · pop · cabinet

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. swing — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lie — to recline
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pop — soda
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. current — happening now
  16. pop — music
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. current — of water
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. current — electric
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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