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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · field · straw · leaves · perch · scale · game · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. drill — a practice
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. game — wild animals
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. field — for sport
  9. drill — army training
  10. field — a subject
  11. scale — size or range
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. game — a match
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. scale — in music
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. drill — the tool
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. perch — the fish
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. field — farmland
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. swing — music

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