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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cap · wind · field · arm · hand · can · suit · bark

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. suit — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. suit — to fit
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. can — a tin
  10. field — farmland
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. field — a subject
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. suit — clothes
  23. can — a tin
  24. hand — in cards

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