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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. craft — boats
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. season — in sport
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chest — of your body
  8. craft — a skill
  9. plane — a tool
  10. season — of the year
  11. bark — to shout
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. band — a ring
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bore — to drill
  18. chest — a box
  19. band — a music group
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. band — a rubber band

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