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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rash — a series
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — in a road
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bark — to shout
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. board — to get on
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. plane — a tool
  22. board — a committee
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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