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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: bark · arm · firm · chest · lie · race · land · hide

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. land — to come down
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. firm — steady
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bark — to shout
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. chest — of your body
  14. land — ground
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — decided
  20. race — the arms race
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. land — a country

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