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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.

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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: bulb · saw · bark · foot · chest · arm · snap · fine

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. saw — the tool
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fine — high quality
  8. chest — of your body
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chest — a box
  11. fine — all right
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bulb — for light
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chest — of your body
  24. foot — part of the body

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