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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: arm · wind · row · bark · lean · sharp · last · stand

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bark — to shout
  3. last — finally
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stand — to bear
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wind — moving air
  20. row — to paddle
  21. last — final
  22. lean — to bend
  23. last — to go on
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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