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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. land — to come down
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — what's left
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. land — a country
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. land — ground
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rest — a break
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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