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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 · club · board · spell · court · perch · plane · mug

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. club — a group
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. court — of law
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mug — a face
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. club — for golf
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. court — for sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. court — of a king
  17. spell — a short time
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spell — magic
  20. bark — to shout
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mug — to rob
  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