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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: trunk · perch · face · snap · wax · bulb · swing · arm

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. swing — to play on
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. face — part of the head
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. snap — to click
  21. swing — music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. perch — for a bird

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