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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 · mark · bear · current · bark · lash · craft · shower

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. current — of water
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mark — a trace
  10. current — electric
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. current — happening now
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mark — a grade
  17. shower — rain
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. plane — a tool
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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