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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. row — a line
  3. lean — thin
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. charge — a price
  7. lean — to bend
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bank — for money
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. bank — of a river
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bank — for money
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. wound — an injury

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