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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.

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: field · craft · bark · ground · file · plane · can · fan

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. field — for sport
  5. file — a tool
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. ground — the earth
  13. plane — a tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. file — a document
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. bark — to shout
  20. field — farmland
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. field — a subject

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