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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: wound · court · leaves · bound · swing · wake · firm · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. firm — decided
  3. swing — to play on
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wound — an injury
  6. swing — in golf
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bound — obliged
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. swing — music
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. court — for sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. season — in sport
  20. firm — a company
  21. bound — certain
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. firm — steady

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