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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bank — for money
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bank — of a river
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rash — a series
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bank — for money

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