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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: branch · hide · current · chest · bark · plane · can · safe

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bark — to shout
  6. can — to be able to
  7. chest — of your body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. can — a tin
  13. chest — a box
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — of water
  24. chest — of your body

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