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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: straw · chest · scale · bore · present · swing · hide · perch

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. present — the time now
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chest — of your body
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chest — a box
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. scale — size or range
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bore — to drill
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bore — to tire
  24. swing — to play on

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