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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.

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: pound · craft · wound · plane · bark · sharp · pass · straw

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wound — an injury
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. craft — a skill
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wound — an injury

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