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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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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: perch · leaves · band · lie · snap · spell · game · arm

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. game — wild animals
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. spell — a short time
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. game — a match
  18. spell — letters
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. lie — to recline
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. lie — an untruth

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