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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. face — part of the head
  5. prune — to trim
  6. face — to confront
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bark — to shout
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. chair — a leader
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. face — to point toward
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. plane — a tool

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