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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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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 · bark · board · perch · bass · cabinet · race · track

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. perch — the fish
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. track — a path
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bass — low music
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. race — a contest
  14. board — a committee
  15. race — humankind
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. board — to get on
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bass — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bark — to shout

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