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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: present · board · bark · clip · face · plane · game · bear

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. present — there
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. present — a gift
  6. bear — the animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. present — the time now
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. board — a committee
  16. face — to point toward
  17. plane — a tool
  18. board — to get on
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. face — part of the head
  21. game — wild animals
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. face — to confront
  24. bear — the animal

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