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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. hand — help

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