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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 116 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: mouse · swing · hand · cabinet · stock · spring · bulb · perch

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. spring — the season
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bulb — for light
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spring — of water
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. hand — help
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. swing — music
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mouse — the animal

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