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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: perch · arm · branch · saw · degree · tube · nail · present

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. present — there
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. tube — a container
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. degree — temperature
  13. perch — the fish
  14. degree — from a university
  15. present — a gift
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. tube — the underground
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. present — the time now

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