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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: wind · arm · march · tear · perch · mug · racket · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rash — a series
  8. march — the month
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rash — hasty
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tear — from crying
  14. perch — the fish
  15. march — music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. march — the month
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mug — to rob

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