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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. snap — to click
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bound — certain
  7. object — to protest
  8. tube — a container
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. object — an aim
  17. bound — obliged
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bound — tied together
  20. object — a thing
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. hide — to keep secret

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