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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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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: clip · pass · straw · wake · kick · suit · arm · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. clip — a video
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pass — a permit
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. suit — to fit
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. suit — in cards
  15. kick — in football
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pass — to succeed

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