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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · field · hide · bound · ball · bark · land · plane

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. plane — a tool
  3. craft — boats
  4. bark — to shout
  5. land — to come down
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. land — a country
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bound — certain
  11. land — ground
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — for sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. field — farmland
  20. craft — a skill
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. field — a subject

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