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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: pound · swing · sharp · mouse · rash · perch · wind · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. swing — music
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fork — in a road
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. sharp — clever
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wind — moving air
  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