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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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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: march · arm · degree · wave · stick · chest · board · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. degree — temperature
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. board — to get on
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bark — to shout
  8. march — music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. degree — from a university
  13. board — a committee
  14. march — the month
  15. chest — a box
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. march — the month
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. arm — 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