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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: perch · fan · file · stick · dip · land · arm · swing

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. file — a tool
  6. land — ground
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. file — a document
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. swing — music
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. land — a country
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. land — to come down
  21. dip — to sink
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. dip — a sauce

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