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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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Word bank
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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fine — all right
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. saw — the tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fine — high quality
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. game — wild animals
  13. saw — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. game — a match
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bark — to shout

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