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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bank — for money
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bank — for money
  20. kick — in football
  21. clip — a video
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. jam — in traffic
  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