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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 · cold · bay · board · hide · squash · wave · bark

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. squash — the sport
  7. board — a committee
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. board — to get on
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cold — an illness

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