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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · scale · club · snap · saw · bark · plane · arm

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. club — for golf
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. club — a group
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. saw — the tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. scale — in music
  10. plane — a tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. spell — a short time
  14. snap — to click
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bark — to shout
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. spell — magic
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — letters
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. club — for dancing
  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