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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: band · arm · drill · kick · perch · rash · pitch · rush

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. band — a music group
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. band — a ring
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pitch — completely
  13. perch — the fish
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. kick — in football
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. drill — army training
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rash — a series
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rash — hasty

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