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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: tube · swing · chair · perch · fork · ground · lean · pop

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ground — a position
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pop — to visit
  5. lean — thin
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ground — the earth
  10. swing — music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pop — soda
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pop — music
  16. fork — in a road
  17. swing — in golf
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. ground — crushed
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tube — a container
  24. fork — a garden tool

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