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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: straw · craft · wave · court · perch · bulb · swing · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. court — of a king
  3. craft — a skill
  4. perch — the fish
  5. craft — boats
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bulb — for light
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. swing — to play on
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. file — a document
  15. bulb — for light
  16. swing — music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. file — a tool
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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