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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.

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: foot · deal · hand · game · bark · plane · rest · saw

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. hand — help
  3. rest — a break
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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