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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: coach · bore · arm · perch · pop · saw · net · object

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. perch — the fish
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. object — to protest
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bore — to tire
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. object — an aim
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bore — to drill
  12. net — for catching
  13. pop — soda
  14. net — in sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. object — a thing
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. net — after costs
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pop — music
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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