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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rash — hasty
  3. face — to confront
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bark — to shout
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a ring
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rash — a series

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