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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 120 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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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: degree · stick · mouse · last · bark · racket · arm · wake

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. last — final
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. last — finally
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. degree — an amount
  19. last — to go on
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. degree — temperature
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. degree — from a university

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