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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: swing · perch · bulb · chip · mine · nail · scale · rule

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. scale — size or range
  8. swing — music
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rule — government
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chip — for betting
  16. scale — in music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. swing — to play on
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. perch — the fish

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