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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. bound — obliged
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — tied together
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. roll — a list
  18. bound — certain
  19. chest — a box
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. perch — the fish
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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