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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: bulb · swing · hide · wound · row · rush · stand · object

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wound — an injury
  3. row — to paddle
  4. object — to protest
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. swing — in golf
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. stand — to bear
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. object — an aim
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. object — a thing
  19. row — a line
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rush — hurry
  23. swing — music
  24. stand — on your feet

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