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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: mark · bound · lean · cold · rest · swing · perch · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mark — a grade
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. last — final
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lean — thin
  17. mark — a trace
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rest — a break
  24. last — finally

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