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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: kid · bark · mouse · bear · ball · arm · club · rush

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. club — a group
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bear — the animal
  12. club — for golf
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. kid — child
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bear — to put up with

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