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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. face — to point toward
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bark — to shout
  14. band — a ring
  15. face — part of the head
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rash — a series
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. face — to confront
  23. fine — all right
  24. saw — the tool

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