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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: bark · scale · face · jam · row · pit · hide · plane

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. scale — in music
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. row — a line
  9. face — to point toward
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. scale — size or range
  12. plane — a tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. face — part of the head
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. face — to confront
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bark — to shout
  23. hide — animal skin
  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