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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. band — a ring
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pound — a weight
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. snap — to click
  10. tear — to rip
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. present — the time now
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. band — a music group
  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