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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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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: object · race · march · wound · bound · roll · perch · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. march — music
  4. object — a thing
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bound — obliged
  7. perch — the fish
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. object — an aim
  12. race — a contest
  13. march — the month
  14. object — to protest
  15. roll — a cake
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. roll — a list
  19. race — humankind
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. race — the arms race
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bound — certain

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