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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: rest · perch · wind · lean · game · rock · ruler · arm

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wind — moving air
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rock — music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lean — thin
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wind — moving air
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. rock — a stone
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. game — a match

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