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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: suit · swing · fork · wound · wave · hand · capital · race

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. swing — music
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fork — in a road
  6. race — humankind
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — in cards
  10. swing — in golf
  11. hand — help
  12. swing — to play on
  13. race — the arms race
  14. capital — money
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. race — a contest
  23. capital — a city
  24. wave — with your hand

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