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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 · fan · march · mouse · sharp · net · calf · arm

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. net — for catching
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. march — the month
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. sharp — clever
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — in sport
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. net — after costs

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