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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: scale · rash · perch · drill · hide · mine · pop · swing

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. scale — size or range
  4. swing — music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. swing — in golf
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pop — to visit
  9. scale — in music
  10. drill — the tool
  11. swing — to play on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pop — music
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. drill — army training
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pop — soda

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