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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. present — the time now
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. last — finally
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wax — to grow
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. present — a gift
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. temple — a place of worship

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