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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: safe · perch · kid · swing · roll · lean · spring · pop

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. swing — music
  3. roll — a cake
  4. spring — the season
  5. lean — thin
  6. roll — a list
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. swing — to play on
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pop — to visit
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. kid — to tease
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pop — soda
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kid — child
  22. pop — music
  23. spring — a coil
  24. lean — to bend

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