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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: cabinet · land · hand · swing · rash · object · fan · perch

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. perch — the fish
  4. land — to come down
  5. rash — a series
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. swing — in golf
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. land — a country
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. land — ground
  17. object — to protest
  18. hand — in cards
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hand — help
  22. swing — music
  23. rash — hasty
  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