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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bark — to shout
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. mate — to breed
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. bound — obliged
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. mate — a friend

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