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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: arm · board · bark · pound · snap · club · row · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. club — for golf
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pound — a weight
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. snap — to click
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. bark — to shout
  19. row — a line
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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