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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 116 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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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: plane · fork · content · perch · wave · swing · track · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. perch — the fish
  5. content — the amount
  6. swing — in golf
  7. content — happy
  8. track — a path
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. swing — to play on
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. track — to keep track
  19. swing — music
  20. track — a song
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. kid — to tease
  24. perch — for a bird

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