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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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. object — a thing
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wound — an injury
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — to protest
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. swing — music

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