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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. track — a song
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lie — to recline
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cold — an illness
  13. track — a path
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cue — for pool

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