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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 · wind · mine · deal · cue · saw · bulb

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cue — a signal

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