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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. firm — steady
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. spell — magic
  7. firm — a company
  8. cap — of ice
  9. tube — a container
  10. cap — a hat
  11. firm — decided
  12. spell — letters
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. spell — a short time
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cap — a lid
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. roll — a list
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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