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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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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: bowl · present · perch · mate · staff · swing · lean · ground

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. lean — thin
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. swing — to play on
  4. staff — employees
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. staff — employees
  14. ground — a position
  15. present — a gift
  16. staff — a stick
  17. swing — in golf
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mate — to breed
  22. lean — to bend
  23. swing — music
  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