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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: fine · fork · hide · cap · bark · chest · stick · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — a box
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fine — all right
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cap — a lid
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fork — in a road

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