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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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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: foot · last · fork · trunk · kid · perch · snap · arm

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. last — final
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. snap — to click
  8. last — finally
  9. perch — the fish
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. fork — in a road
  15. kid — to tease
  16. last — to go on
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kid — child

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