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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: craft · swing · suit · lean · band · perch · wound · stock

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. band — a music group
  4. perch — the fish
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. craft — a skill
  7. band — a ring
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wound — an injury
  11. swing — to play on
  12. lean — thin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. suit — clothes
  16. craft — boats
  17. stock — goods
  18. swing — in golf
  19. lean — to bend
  20. swing — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. suit — in cards

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