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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: firm · bank · rest · bore · arm · bark · field · straw

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bore — to tire
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bark — to shout
  6. firm — decided
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rest — what's left
  10. field — a subject
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — steady
  13. field — for sport
  14. rest — a break
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bank — for money
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bore — to drill
  20. field — farmland
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. rest — what's left

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