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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: hand · present · content · lash · swing · plane · perch · cell

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. swing — to play on
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. swing — in golf
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. swing — music
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. hand — help
  13. present — a gift
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. perch — the fish
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. present — the time now
  21. plane — a tool
  22. present — there
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hand — in cards

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