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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 120 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. wound — an injury
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kid — child
  11. bound — obliged
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — certain
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. kid — to tease
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wound — an injury
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bound — tied together

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