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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: chest · kid · perch · club · saw · trunk · rush · last

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. club — for golf
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. club — a group
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — hurry
  13. club — for dancing
  14. perch — the fish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — to go on
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chest — a box
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. last — finally
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. last — final

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