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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: perch · hand · wound · tube · rush · roll · snap · mug

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. hand — in cards
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a face
  13. snap — to click
  14. roll — a cake
  15. perch — the fish
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hand — help
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rush — hurry
  23. roll — a list
  24. tube — a container

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