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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: fine · craft · plane · bark · saw · spell · last · rest

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. spell — magic
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. craft — a skill
  9. rest — what's left
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rest — a break
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. craft — boats
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — finally
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fine — high quality
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — final
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bark — to shout

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