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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: board · cap · sharp · perch · arm · cell · mark · bank

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bank — of a river
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bank — for money
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bank — for money
  10. cap — a hat
  11. perch — the fish
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. board — to get on
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cap — of ice
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cell — in biology
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mark — a trace

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