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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: capital · game · fork · arm · safe · wave · field · bark

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. field — farmland
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. game — wild animals
  7. field — a subject
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. capital — a city
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. field — for sport
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bark — to shout
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. game — a match
  24. wave — of the sea

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