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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: club · land · saw · arm · wave · perch · hand · track

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. land — to come down
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. land — a country
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. hand — in cards
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. hand — help
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. land — ground
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. track — a song

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