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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cell — in biology
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. board — a committee
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bark — to shout
  11. content — happy
  12. cell — a phone
  13. field — a subject
  14. stand — to bear
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. content — the amount
  17. branch — a division
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. field — farmland
  20. board — to get on
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. field — for sport
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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