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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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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: snap · wound · calf · arm · mate · bark · mug · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mate — to breed
  9. snap — to click
  10. mug — a face
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wound — an injury
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bowl — a dish

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