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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.

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: arm · bark · fan · last · bore · file · march · lash

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bore — to tire
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bark — to shout
  19. march — the month
  20. last — final
  21. file — a document
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. arm — a part of something

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