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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rest — a break
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. prune — to trim
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rest — what's left
  7. key — in music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. key — the most important part
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. club — for dancing
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. club — for golf
  19. rest — what's left
  20. prune — to trim
  21. key — for a lock
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. club — a group
  24. perch — the fish

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