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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: season · hand · perch · cue · club · wound · ground · current

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cue — for pool
  5. ground — the earth
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. club — for golf
  8. ground — a position
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. current — electric
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cue — a signal
  13. current — happening now
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hand — help
  16. season — in sport
  17. cue — a hint
  18. ground — crushed
  19. current — of water
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. perch — the fish
  22. club — for dancing
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. club — a group

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