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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: swing · suit · wound · tube · stick · leaves · perch · kick

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. swing — in golf
  4. perch — the fish
  5. swing — music
  6. kick — in football
  7. suit — to fit
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. suit — clothes
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — an injury
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. tube — a container
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. swing — to play on
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. suit — in cards
  21. tube — the underground
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wound — an injury
  24. tube — in a tire

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