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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bark — to shout
  8. plane — a tool
  9. row — a line
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lie — to recline
  12. row — to paddle
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. hand — help
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. season — in sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. season — of the year
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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