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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. plane — a tool
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stock — shares
  7. last — to go on
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. last — final
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cue — a signal
  13. last — finally
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rash — a series
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bark — to shout

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