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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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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: cabinet · kid · arm · season · last · perch · bear · lash

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bear — the animal
  4. season — in sport
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. kid — to tease
  9. season — of the year
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. last — finally
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. last — final
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kid — child
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. last — to go on
  24. perch — the fish

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