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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: pop · spring · can · perch · track · plane · arm · chest

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spring — of water
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pop — soda
  7. plane — a tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. track — a song
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. pop — to visit
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pop — music
  16. track — to keep track
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. track — a path
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. perch — for a bird

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