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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: temple · perch · plane · wind · nail · branch · cue · arm

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cue — for pool
  4. perch — the fish
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cue — a signal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cue — a hint
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. branch — a division
  19. wind — moving air
  20. plane — a tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. nail — on a finger

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