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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · wind · rash · firm · rock · bark · arm · game

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. firm — steady
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rash — a series
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rash — hasty
  12. firm — a company
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bass — low music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. firm — decided
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rock — music

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