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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 120 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bound — obliged
  3. snap — to click
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. band — a ring
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bound — tied together
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. band — a music group
  24. bound — certain

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