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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: current · wound · swing · bank · cold · mate · lash · pitch

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. current — happening now
  6. swing — music
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bank — for money
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cold — an illness
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mate — to breed
  16. current — electric
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. cold — not warm
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bank — for money
  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