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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: swing · cue · perch · pound · band · last · spell · arm

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. cue — a hint
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. band — a ring
  8. last — to go on
  9. band — a music group
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spell — letters
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cue — for pool
  14. last — final
  15. perch — the fish
  16. swing — music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. last — finally
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. swing — to play on

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