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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. perch — the fish
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bore — to tire
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lean — thin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. rush — hurry
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. lean — to bend
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bore — to drill

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