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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tear — from crying
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. perch — the fish
  6. press — to push
  7. bear — the animal
  8. roll — a list
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. spring — of water
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pop — to visit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. spring — the season
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bear — the animal
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. press — newspapers
  23. roll — a cake
  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