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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 120 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: rash · swing · bound · bowl · wound · shower · ball · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bound — certain
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — an aim
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wound — an injury
  7. shower — rain
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wound — an injury
  10. swing — music
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. swing — in golf
  16. ball — a great time
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rash — a series
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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