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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 120 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: mouse · degree · perch · cue · lean · chest · spell · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cue — a signal
  5. lean — thin
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lean — to bend
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spell — letters
  14. chest — a box
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cue — for pool
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. spell — magic
  20. cue — a hint
  21. chest — of your body
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. spell — a short time

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