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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · press · safe · lie · plane · wake · bark · net

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. wake — a trail
  3. chair — a leader
  4. net — for catching
  5. press — a publisher
  6. net — after costs
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — in sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. press — to push
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bark — to shout

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