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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: mouse · cabinet · file · swing · perch · fall · bound · cap

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cap — of ice
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cap — a lid
  10. file — a line of people
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fall — the season
  13. bound — certain
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cap — a hat
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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