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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 116 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: cold · pop · cabinet · lean · swing · board · ruler · perch

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. lean — thin
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. perch — the fish
  11. board — to get on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lean — to bend
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. swing — music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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