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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.

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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: hand · perch · spell · swing · staff · pound · mate · chest

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. perch — the fish
  4. swing — in golf
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mate — a friend
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pound — a weight
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. swing — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. spell — letters
  22. mate — a partner
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mate — to breed

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