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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · perch · pass · mine · racket · charge · hand · swing

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. swing — music
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hand — help
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. charge — a price
  9. spring — of water
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. hand — in cards
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — in control
  16. swing — to play on
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mine — for digging
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pass — to succeed

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