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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. club — a group
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. club — for dancing
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stem — to come from
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bark — to shout
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. club — for golf
  24. date — the fruit

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