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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 120 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 · cell · bowl · mine · pop · swing · drill · scale

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. scale — in music
  3. pop — music
  4. drill — the tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. swing — music
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. swing — to play on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pop — to visit
  13. scale — size or range
  14. perch — the fish
  15. drill — a practice
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pop — soda
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mine — for digging
  21. drill — army training
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. scale — for weighing

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