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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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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: club · arm · perch · degree · dip · last · tube · calf

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. perch — the fish
  4. dip — to sink
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. degree — from a university
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. tube — the underground
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. last — to go on
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. degree — an amount
  17. last — final
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — a container
  20. degree — temperature
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. club — a group

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