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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. plane — a tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bore — to drill
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bore — to tire
  18. perch — the fish
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. plane — an aircraft

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