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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: bowl · prune · perch · bass · swing · chest · stand · sharp

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stand — to bear
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chest — of your body
  8. swing — in golf
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bass — the fish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. swing — music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bass — low music
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bass — the instrument

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