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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · arm · perch · face · last · swing · shower · spell

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — rain
  4. spell — letters
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. face — to confront
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. last — to go on
  10. spell — magic
  11. perch — the fish
  12. swing — in golf
  13. face — to point toward
  14. swing — music
  15. shower — to wash
  16. spell — a short time
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. face — part of the head
  20. last — finally
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. last — final
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. swing — to play on

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