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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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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: chest · leaves · plane · deal · craft · bark · chair · tear

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. tear — from crying
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. chest — of your body
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. craft — boats
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. chest — a box
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chest — of your body
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. plane — a tool
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. tear — from crying

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