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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 120 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 · saw · kid · plane · stick · spell · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. foot — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kid — to tease
  6. perch — the fish
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. spell — magic
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spell — letters
  13. kid — child
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. foot — a measure
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spell — a short time
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. foot — the bottom
  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