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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: arm · perch · rash · fork · wave · tube · degree · hand

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. hand — help
  4. degree — temperature
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. fork — in a road
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. tube — a container
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rash — a series
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. perch — the fish
  20. degree — from a university
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. arm — part of the body

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