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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.

Make a worksheet

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: roll · mug · row · bear · file · perch · spring · swing

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. roll — a list
  3. file — a line of people
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mug — a cup
  6. file — a tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. spring — of water
  10. swing — in golf
  11. perch — the fish
  12. swing — to play on
  13. roll — a cake
  14. row — to paddle
  15. swing — music
  16. file — a document
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spring — the season
  21. row — a line
  22. bear — the animal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mug — a face

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