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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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. perch — the fish
  4. present — a gift
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. race — the arms race
  8. key — in music
  9. stem — to come from
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. key — for a lock
  15. present — the time now
  16. swing — in golf
  17. present — there
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. race — a contest
  20. swing — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. key — the most important part
  23. race — humankind
  24. stem — of a plant

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