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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: rush · branch · craft · plane · file · safe · bark · net

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. net — after costs
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. file — a line of people
  7. branch — a division
  8. net — in sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. file — a tool
  14. craft — a skill
  15. net — for catching
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bark — to shout
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. file — a document
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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