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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. lean — thin
  5. saw — the tool
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bark — to shout
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. suit — in cards
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. suit — to fit
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. clip — a video
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mouse — for a computer

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