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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: perch · arm · club · chest · bank · capital · saw · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bank — of a river
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bank — for money
  8. chest — a box
  9. bank — for money
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — for golf
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. club — for dancing
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — the tool
  16. club — a group
  17. chest — of your body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. chest — of your body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. date — the fruit
  23. capital — a city
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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