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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 120 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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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: stick · plane · tear · safe · last · cell · bark · patient

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. last — final
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bark — to shout
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. tear — from crying
  17. last — to go on
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cell — a phone
  23. last — finally
  24. safe — a strongbox

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