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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: toast · plane · bark · press · sharp · ground · racket · wake

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ground — a position
  5. press — to push
  6. toast — bread
  7. wake — a trail
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. sharp — clever
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. ground — the earth
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — the most admired

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