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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: race · craft · mate · ball · plane · ground · stick · bark

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. race — the arms race
  4. ground — a position
  5. race — a contest
  6. craft — boats
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mate — a partner
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. race — humankind
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. craft — a skill
  19. mate — a friend
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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