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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: lash · race · plane · trunk · land · wind · bark · fall

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fall — the season
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fall — to drop
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. land — ground
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wind — moving air
  16. land — a country
  17. race — the arms race
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bark — to shout
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. land — to come down
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. plane — an aircraft

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