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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: perch · chair · pop · patient · club · swing · bear · sharp

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. club — a group
  3. bear — the animal
  4. sharp — clever
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bear — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. swing — in golf
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. swing — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pop — soda
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. club — for golf
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pop — music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. club — for dancing
  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