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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bark — to shout
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pass — a permit
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stand — to bear
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. hand — help
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. arm — a part of something

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