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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: straw · race · stand · mate · arm · nail · face · bark

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bark — to shout
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mate — a friend
  6. face — part of the head
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mate — a partner
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. face — to confront
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. face — to point toward
  22. race — humankind
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. arm — a part of something

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