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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: ruler · perch · season · arm · hand · temple · drill · wound

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. season — in sport
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wound — an injury
  11. perch — the fish
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. drill — army training
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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