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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: perch · fork · temple · swing · nail · staff · arm · prune

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. swing — to play on
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. staff — employees
  6. prune — to trim
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. swing — in golf
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. staff — employees
  17. fork — in a road
  18. staff — a stick
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. perch — the fish
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. swing — music
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. temple — side of the head

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