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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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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: lash · clip · arm · perch · game · vault · fork · club

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. club — a group
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. perch — the fish
  16. game — a match
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. club — for golf
  19. game — wild animals
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. club — for dancing
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. clip — a video

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