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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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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: craft · bowl · roll · spell · plane · lie · staff · bark

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. spell — letters
  3. roll — a list
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. staff — employees
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. craft — a skill
  10. plane — a tool
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. staff — employees
  16. roll — a cake
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. staff — a stick
  22. spell — magic
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bowl — to roll

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