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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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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: arm · file · perch · stick · wind · chair · bore · snap

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. chair — a leader
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. snap — to click
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. file — a document
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. chair — to sit on

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