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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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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 · net · bark · safe · track · snap · tear · fork

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fork — in a road
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. snap — to click
  9. plane — a tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. net — after costs
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. tear — from crying
  15. net — in sport
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. track — a song
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — to shout

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