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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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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: craft · coach · wave · fork · bark · plane · chest · lash

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chest — a box
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. craft — boats
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. chest — of your body

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