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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
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: coach · cell · bass · plane · bark · chair · board · face

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cell — a phone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bass — low music
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. board — to get on
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bark — to shout
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bass — the fish
  24. plane — in geometry

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