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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.

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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 · chest · hide · cue · wound · pop · snap · arm

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pop — soda
  3. chest — of your body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cue — a signal
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pop — music
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chest — a box
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bark — to shout
  23. snap — to click
  24. wound — an injury

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