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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. craft — a skill
  6. kick — in football
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bark — to shout
  13. snap — to click
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. craft — boats
  19. file — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. file — a document
  24. kick — a thrill

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