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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · craft · bark · pit · band · plane · drill · straw

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. suit — to fit
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pit — a hole
  6. band — a music group
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. band — a ring
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. suit — clothes
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. drill — the tool
  15. suit — in cards
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. drill — army training
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pit — in a race
  24. plane — in geometry

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