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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: bark · arm · bat · saw · current · coach · wake · plane

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. current — of water
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. current — happening now
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. current — electric
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bark — to shout
  23. saw — the tool
  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