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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spring — the season
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bulb — for light
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — of water
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. swing — music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. swing — to play on
  15. hand — in cards
  16. swing — in golf
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hand — help
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. perch — the fish
  24. spring — a coil

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