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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mug · bass · swing · rest · clip · march · stand · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bass — low music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. clip — for paper
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mug — a face
  9. bass — the fish
  10. clip — to cut
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rest — what's left
  13. march — music
  14. rest — a break
  15. stand — to bear
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mug — a cup
  18. march — the month
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. swing — music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. march — the month
  24. clip — a video

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