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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: plane · jam · perch · race · net · calf · chair · bark

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. net — after costs
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bark — to shout
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chair — a leader
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. net — for catching
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. net — in sport
  23. race — the arms race
  24. plane — a tool

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