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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. staff — employees
  7. band — a music group
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rule — a law
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rule — government
  16. rush — hurry
  17. row — a line
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. kid — child
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. band — a ring
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — an aircraft

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