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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: can · arm · tear · straw · kick · bark · club · staff

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. can — a tin
  4. tear — to rip
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. can — to be able to
  7. staff — employees
  8. tear — from crying
  9. club — a group
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. can — a tin
  12. club — for golf
  13. staff — employees
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bark — to shout
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. kick — in football
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. staff — a stick

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