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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · perch · swing · band · mate · hand · land · ball

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. swing — in golf
  3. land — ground
  4. perch — the fish
  5. land — a country
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. present — a gift
  8. band — a ring
  9. hand — in cards
  10. present — the time now
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mate — a partner
  13. ball — a great time
  14. present — there
  15. band — a music group
  16. swing — music
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. swing — to play on
  19. ball — a dance
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. land — to come down
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mate — a friend

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