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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bound — certain
  20. craft — boats
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. craft — a skill
  24. plane — an aircraft

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