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

Word bank: wind · foot · firm · arm · current · bark · lie · cell

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. firm — a company
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. current — of water
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. current — happening now
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wind — moving air
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. current — electric
  16. firm — steady
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. foot — a measure
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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