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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.

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: chip · ground · lie · arm · fan · wave · pitcher · bark

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ground — crushed
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. ground — a position
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. arm — a part of something

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