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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: swing · perch · staff · ruler · field · mate · spell · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. field — farmland
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. swing — in golf
  5. field — a subject
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. swing — music
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spell — a short time
  13. lean — thin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. staff — a stick
  16. spell — magic
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. staff — employees
  19. swing — to play on
  20. spell — letters
  21. field — for sport
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. staff — employees
  24. mate — to breed

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