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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. suit — in cards
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. branch — a division
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. suit — clothes
  15. shower — to wash
  16. firm — steady
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. firm — decided
  19. stock — shares
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. firm — a company
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. shower — rain

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