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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 120 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: patient · mouse · saw · straw · foot · arm · perch · game

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — a match
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. foot — a measure
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. game — wild animals
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mouse — the animal

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