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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: arm · wound · land · safe · plane · rock · bark · cell

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. land — to come down
  4. cell — in biology
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — to shout
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. land — a country
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. land — ground
  16. wound — an injury
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. plane — in geometry

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