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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: pitcher · rock · rest · kick · bark · roll · perch · arm

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rock — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rest — a break
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rest — what's left
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kick — in football
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rest — what's left
  24. roll — a list

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