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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: swing · hand · row · temple · perch · bat · band · cabinet

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. perch — the fish
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. swing — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. band — a music group
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. band — a ring
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. row — a line
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bat — the animal
  23. band — a rubber band
  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