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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: nail · arm · spell · bark · rush · wind · stem · hide

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bark — to shout
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stem — to come from
  13. spell — letters
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. stem — a stem cell

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