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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 · pound · file · perch · band · mate · toast · straw

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. perch — the fish
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. file — a document
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. swing — music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mate — a partner
  12. file — a tool
  13. swing — to play on
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. toast — bread
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. band — a ring
  19. mate — to breed
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. file — a line of people
  22. swing — in golf
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. band — a music group

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