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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: roll · shower · firm · perch · sharp · wake · chest · arm

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. firm — a company
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. perch — the fish
  6. shower — rain
  7. chest — a box
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. firm — steady
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. firm — decided
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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