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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: game · net · bark · cabinet · saw · hide · rock · craft

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. net — for catching
  9. craft — a skill
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. craft — boats
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. net — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. net — after costs
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rock — music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. game — a match
  24. hide — to keep secret

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