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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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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: wake · clip · perch · roll · lash · swing · club · mouse

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. club — a group
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. swing — music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. swing — in golf
  12. roll — a list
  13. perch — the fish
  14. clip — a video
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. club — for golf
  17. roll — a cake
  18. wake — a trail
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. club — for dancing

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