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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: bass · perch · mine · swing · plane · field · pop · safe

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. pop — soda
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. plane — a tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. field — for sport
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. pop — music
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. field — a subject
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. field — farmland
  23. mine — for digging
  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