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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. club — a group
  3. wound — an injury
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. club — for golf
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fork — in a road
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mine — for digging
  24. club — for dancing

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