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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. board — a committee
  4. last — final
  5. plane — a tool
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. last — finally
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. craft — a skill
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. game — a match
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. craft — boats
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. game — wild animals
  22. last — to go on
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bark — to shout

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