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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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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: bear · swing · row · wound · kid · current · wake · chair

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bear — the animal
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — electric
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wake — a trail
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chair — a leader
  16. swing — music
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. kid — child
  19. row — a line
  20. current — happening now
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — of water
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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