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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: arm · snap · racket · clip · calf · bat · fan · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. clip — a video
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. clip — to cut
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. snap — to click
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bat — the animal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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