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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: stick · hide · arm · capital · snap · perch · shower · cabinet

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to click
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. capital — money
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. shower — rain
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. shower — to wash
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. capital — a city
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. capital — a big letter

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