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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. net — for catching
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. net — in sport
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tear — to rip
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. net — after costs
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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