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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · arm · bulb · mug · kid · bark · ball · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. wake — a trail
  2. bulb — for light
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mug — to rob
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mug — a cup
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bark — to shout
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mug — a face
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kid — child
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. ball — a great time
  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