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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: fall · perch · bay · swing · firm · shower · arm · spring

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. firm — a company
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. spring — a coil
  8. shower — rain
  9. fall — to drop
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fall — the season
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. firm — steady
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. swing — to play on
  21. firm — decided
  22. perch — the fish
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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