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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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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 · hand · mark · racket · kid · lie · spell · bark

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. spell — a short time
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bark — to shout
  9. spell — letters
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. kid — child
  14. mark — a trace
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. kid — to tease
  17. hand — help
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spell — magic
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. lie — an untruth

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