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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rash — a series
  5. clip — for paper
  6. staff — a stick
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. staff — employees
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rash — hasty
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. staff — employees
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rash — on the skin

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