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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · spring · mouse · perch · tear · sharp · current · arm

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. march — the month
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. perch — the fish
  8. current — of water
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. current — electric
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — clever
  13. march — the month
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. tear — from crying
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spring — the season
  19. tear — to rip
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. march — music
  24. mouse — the animal

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