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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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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: saw · bark · bat · firm · rest · lie · march · arm

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — to recline
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rest — a break
  10. firm — steady
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. march — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. firm — a company
  18. rest — what's left
  19. firm — decided
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. saw — the tool

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