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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 116 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: snap · kick · perch · bear · board · game · wound · lash

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. snap — to click
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. perch — the fish
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. board — to get on
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. game — a match
  16. kick — in football
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. kick — with a leg

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