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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: stick · saw · hand · wound · perch · arm · bear · bat

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. saw — the tool
  7. perch — the fish
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wound — an injury
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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