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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. key — the most important part
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. key — for a lock
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. chair — a leader
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. key — in music
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wind — moving air

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