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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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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 · mark · kid · swing · band · object · firm · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. firm — a company
  3. object — to protest
  4. band — a music group
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. firm — steady
  7. swing — in golf
  8. mark — a trace
  9. object — an aim
  10. swing — music
  11. kid — child
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. band — a ring
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mark — a grade
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. swing — to play on
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bark — to shout
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. firm — decided
  24. object — a thing

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