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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: deal · field · scale · craft · suit · plane · bark · hand

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. suit — in cards
  3. scale — size or range
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. hand — in cards
  6. deal — to handle
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bark — to shout
  9. craft — boats
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. field — a subject
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. scale — in music
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. plane — a tool
  21. craft — a skill
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. field — for sport
  24. hand — help

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