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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.

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: pop · stick · fine · wound · fan · club · perch · swing

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. club — a group
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fine — all right
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. swing — in golf
  8. perch — the fish
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. swing — music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pop — to visit
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pop — music
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pop — soda
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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