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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 120 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: track · coach · wind · current · swing · bound · fine · rash

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bound — certain
  4. wind — moving air
  5. swing — to play on
  6. fine — high quality
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fine — all right
  12. current — electric
  13. rash — hasty
  14. swing — in golf
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bound — obliged
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. rash — a series
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. swing — music

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