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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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468
Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. spell — a short time
  11. roll — a list
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. spell — magic
  15. wound — an injury
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. roll — a cake
  18. kid — child
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spell — letters
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. vault — a safe
  24. roll — on a roll

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