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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. spring — the season
  3. bark — to shout
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rash — a series
  7. board — a committee
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. firm — a company
  10. cell — a phone
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — to get on
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cell — in biology
  16. spring — of water
  17. land — to come down
  18. rash — hasty
  19. firm — decided
  20. land — ground
  21. firm — steady
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. land — a country

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