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

Word bank: content · wave · kick · arm · perch · face · scale · pop

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pop — soda
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pop — to visit
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pop — music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. face — to confront
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. kick — in football
  20. face — part of the head
  21. scale — in music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. face — to point toward

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