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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bark — to shout
  3. plane — a tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. hand — in cards
  10. race — humankind
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. race — the arms race
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — electricity
  15. race — a contest
  16. charge — a price
  17. branch — a division
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. hand — help
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. hand — part of the body

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