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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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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: craft · sharp · plane · bark · hand · spring · mark · lean

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mark — a trace
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spring — of water
  6. plane — a tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. hand — help
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bark — to shout
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. spring — the season
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mark — a grade
  16. craft — boats
  17. sharp — clever
  18. craft — a skill
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lean — thin
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. sharp — with an edge

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