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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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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: lean · chest · swing · perch · last · root · snap · pound

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. swing — music
  4. pound — a weight
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. root — of a word
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. lean — thin
  11. chest — a box
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lean — to bend
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — finally
  19. root — the cause
  20. snap — to click
  21. swing — to play on
  22. perch — the fish
  23. root — of a plant
  24. last — final

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