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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. file — a line of people
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bark — to shout
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. vault — a safe
  19. file — a document
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. file — 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