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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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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: bound · sharp · squash · scale · tear · swing · nail · perch

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bound — obliged
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bound — certain
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. tear — from crying
  11. squash — the sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. swing — in golf
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bound — tied together
  16. sharp — clever
  17. tear — to rip
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tear — from crying

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