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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: arm · saw · rash · bass · wake · perch · cabinet · wound

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rash — a series
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bass — low music
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bass — the fish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — a trail
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wound — an injury
  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