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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 120 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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. clip — to cut
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. clip — a video
  10. branch — a division
  11. plane — a tool
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. content — the amount
  17. clip — for paper
  18. content — happy
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. arm — a part of something

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