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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 116 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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 — an aircraft
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bark — to shout
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cold — an illness
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bear — the animal
  15. plane — a tool
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cold — not warm
  23. face — to confront
  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