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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: rest · bark · row · board · plane · shower · firm · sharp

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rest — what's left
  5. row — to paddle
  6. board — a committee
  7. plane — a tool
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. firm — a company
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. firm — steady
  14. sharp — clever
  15. shower — rain
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rest — a break
  20. row — a line
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. shower — to wash
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. board — to get on

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