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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rash — hasty
  9. file — a document
  10. roll — a cake
  11. rash — a series
  12. prune — to trim
  13. file — a line of people
  14. date — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. board — to get on
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. roll — a list
  23. board — a committee
  24. file — a tool

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