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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · arm · spring · bark · plane · can · chest · squash

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. can — a tin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bark — to shout
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chest — a box
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chest — of your body
  15. can — to be able to
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. spring — the season
  18. can — a tin
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. spring — of water
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. squash — to crush
  24. plane — an aircraft

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