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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 116 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: bark · plane · cabinet · stick · rule · snap · sharp · craft

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. sharp — clever
  4. plane — a tool
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. craft — boats
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bark — to shout
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  24. craft — a skill

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