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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: lean · pitcher · swing · patient · ball · perch · straw · snap

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. perch — the fish
  3. swing — music
  4. ball — a great time
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. swing — to play on
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. snap — to click

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