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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: plane · race · capital · hand · ball · cabinet · staff · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ball — a great time
  3. capital — money
  4. ball — a dance
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. race — a contest
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. staff — a stick
  11. hand — in cards
  12. staff — employees
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hand — help
  17. staff — employees
  18. race — the arms race
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. capital — a city
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bark — to shout
  24. race — humankind

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