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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: wind · swing · perch · present · snap · mine · scale · root

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wind — moving air
  3. scale — size or range
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. root — of a plant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. root — of a word
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. present — the time now
  11. root — the cause
  12. swing — music
  13. snap — to click
  14. scale — in music
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. present — there
  17. mine — for digging
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wind — moving air
  22. present — a gift
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mine — belonging to me

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