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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: saw · foot · bat · perch · hand · fork · toast · wake

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. toast — bread
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wake — a trail
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. hand — help
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bat — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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