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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: lash · plane · tube · fork · chest · race · bark · track

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. race — the arms race
  3. fork — in a road
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. race — humankind
  6. tube — a container
  7. race — a contest
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. track — a path
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. plane — a tool
  19. chest — a box
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. lash — an eyelash

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