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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: mug · straw · snap · hide · rash · press · bark · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mug — to rob
  9. snap — to click
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — a cup
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. press — a publisher
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. press — to push
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bark — to shout

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