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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · season · nail · bowl · perch · clip · lash · arm

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. perch — the fish
  4. clip — a video
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. season — in sport
  11. hand — in cards
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. season — of the year
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. clip — to cut
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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