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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: perch · pound · lean · hand · chest · bowl · pass · arm

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pound — a weight
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pass — a permit
  7. chest — a box
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lean — thin
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pound — for dogs
  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