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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: swing · fork · cue · wound · stock · season · bound · track

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. season — of the year
  3. track — a song
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bound — tied together
  9. track — a path
  10. swing — music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stock — goods
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bound — certain
  20. cue — for pool
  21. season — in sport
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fork — in a road
  24. swing — to play on

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