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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · last · shower · perch · bound · hide · coach · arm

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bound — obliged
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cell — in biology
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cell — a phone
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bound — certain
  17. shower — rain
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. last — finally
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bound — tied together

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