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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: rock · swing · land · perch · field · bowl · lash · racket

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. perch — the fish
  4. swing — music
  5. field — a subject
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. land — a country
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rock — a stone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. field — for sport
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. swing — in golf
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. land — ground
  20. swing — to play on
  21. field — farmland
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. land — to come down
  24. rock — music

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