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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · pop · bark · scale · bay · clip · arm · craft

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pop — music
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. clip — to cut
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. clip — a video
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pop — soda
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lie — to recline
  20. craft — boats
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bark — to shout
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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