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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: sharp · bark · stem · saw · bass · stick · arm · hand

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. hand — help
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bass — low music
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. saw — the tool
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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