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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitch — completely
  4. clip — a video
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. row — a line
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. kick — in football
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. clip — to cut
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. kick — a thrill

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