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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: sharp · club · prune · board · ground · chest · perch · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. club — for golf
  8. sharp — clever
  9. club — a group
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rash — hasty
  12. chest — of your body
  13. board — a committee
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — the earth
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. chest — a box
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. board — to get on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. club — for dancing

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