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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: race · bark · suit · mate · hand · snap · plane · staff

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. hand — in cards
  8. suit — clothes
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hand — help
  13. plane — a tool
  14. race — humankind
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bark — to shout
  17. staff — employees
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. staff — a stick
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. plane — an aircraft

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