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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: swing · bark · roll · shower · pitch · perch · tear · plane

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. roll — a list
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. tear — from crying
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. plane — a tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. swing — to play on
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. tear — to rip
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pitch — completely
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bark — to shout
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. tear — from crying

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