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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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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: pitcher · rash · present · land · rule · plane · hand · bark

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — help
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. land — a country
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. hand — in cards
  14. present — there
  15. bark — to shout
  16. plane — a tool
  17. present — the time now
  18. rule — a law
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. land — to come down
  24. present — a gift

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