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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: bass · perch · bat · swing · wind · club · file · bound

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. club — for dancing
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bass — low music
  7. swing — music
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bass — the fish
  13. club — for golf
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. swing — to play on
  16. file — a tool
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. perch — the fish
  23. club — a group
  24. perch — for a bird

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