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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: perch · wind · row · lie · arm · bark · root · club

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. root — the cause
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wind — moving air
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. club — a group
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. root — of a word
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. club — for golf
  18. root — of a plant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bark — to shout
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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