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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.

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: trunk · fan · rock · wound · ground · arm · bark · kick

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. ground — crushed
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wound — an injury
  13. kick — in football
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. ground — a position
  23. trunk — 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