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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: row · kid · prune · swing · present · race · lean · perch

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lean — thin
  3. swing — in golf
  4. lean — to bend
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kid — child
  8. present — the time now
  9. prune — to trim
  10. present — there
  11. row — a line
  12. race — a contest
  13. kid — to tease
  14. present — a gift
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. swing — music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — the arms race
  19. swing — to play on
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. race — humankind
  24. prune — the fruit

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