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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: bark · board · firm · cap · spell · fan · game · arm

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — a company
  4. spell — magic
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bark — to shout
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spell — letters
  13. cap — a lid
  14. board — a committee
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. game — a match
  19. cap — a hat
  20. board — to get on
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. firm — decided

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