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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: bark · club · sharp · bound · plane · rash · net · deal

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. net — in sport
  5. club — for dancing
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. rash — hasty
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bound — certain
  13. rash — a series
  14. bark — to shout
  15. club — for golf
  16. plane — a tool
  17. net — after costs
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. net — for catching
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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