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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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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: arm · suit · bark · spell · wind · stick · wound · craft

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spell — a short time
  12. suit — in cards
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. craft — boats
  20. spell — magic
  21. craft — a skill
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. suit — to fit
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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