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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: sharp · bark · net · plane · race · stand · chair · spell

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. sharp — clever
  9. net — after costs
  10. race — the arms race
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. spell — magic
  15. race — a contest
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. spell — letters
  19. race — humankind
  20. bark — to shout
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stand — for spectators

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