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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: content · plane · bark · ground · rock · bass · file · saw

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rock — music
  6. ground — the earth
  7. file — a line of people
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. content — the amount
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. file — a document
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. content — happy

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