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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: pit · perch · arm · current · wind · drill · stem · trunk

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. current — of water
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. current — electric
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wind — moving air
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. drill — a practice
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. perch — the fish
  19. current — happening now
  20. drill — army training
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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