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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: field · bark · last · object · mark · chip · perch · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. object — to protest
  3. mark — a trace
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. last — final
  8. field — farmland
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bark — to shout
  11. last — to go on
  12. object — an aim
  13. field — a subject
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. perch — the fish
  16. last — finally
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mark — a grade
  19. chip — to eat
  20. object — a thing
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. field — for sport
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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