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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: hide · plane · bark · ball · chest · face · bore · hand

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bore — to drill
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. face — to confront
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bark — to shout
  10. chest — a box
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. plane — a tool
  13. hand — help
  14. chest — of your body
  15. face — part of the head
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ball — a great time
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. hide — to keep secret

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