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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: plane · ground · chair · face · craft · bat · bark · squash

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. plane — a tool
  4. ground — crushed
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. face — to confront
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. squash — to crush
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ground — a position
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. craft — boats
  24. plane — an aircraft

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