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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: row · arm · face · pop · craft · bark · chip · fork

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. face — to confront
  4. pop — soda
  5. craft — boats
  6. row — a line
  7. chip — for betting
  8. craft — a skill
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. face — part of the head
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. chip — to eat
  19. pop — music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fork — in a road
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fork — a garden tool

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