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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 116 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: bass · lash · perch · swing · straw · board · fork · rock

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bass — low music
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. perch — the fish
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. swing — music
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bass — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. board — to get on
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. fork — in a road
  24. lash — an eyelash

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