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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · firm · swing · perch · track · mine · bark · band

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. swing — music
  4. firm — a company
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. swing — to play on
  9. firm — decided
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fine — all right
  12. swing — in golf
  13. firm — steady
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. track — to keep track
  18. band — a ring
  19. track — a song
  20. band — a music group
  21. bark — to shout
  22. perch — the fish
  23. track — a path
  24. mine — an explosive

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