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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: bear · arm · season · snap · perch · foot · object · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. season — of the year
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bear — the animal
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. snap — to click
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. season — in sport
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. object — a thing
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. object — an aim
  19. wound — an injury
  20. perch — the fish
  21. object — to protest
  22. bear — the animal
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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