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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: bark · arm · season · scale · last · lie · craft · calf

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. season — of the year
  3. scale — size or range
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bark — to shout
  7. last — finally
  8. season — in sport
  9. scale — in music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. lie — to recline
  18. last — to go on
  19. craft — boats
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. last — final
  24. craft — a skill

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