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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mate — a partner
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rock — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ground — crushed
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. prune — to trim
  19. craft — boats
  20. rock — a stone
  21. ground — the earth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ground — a position
  24. prune — the fruit

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