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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. net — for catching
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. kid — to tease
  15. staff — employees
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. kid — child
  18. staff — a stick
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. staff — employees
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pound — to hit hard

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