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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pop — to visit
  6. scale — in music
  7. pop — music
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. clip — a video
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bark — to shout
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bat — the animal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pop — soda
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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