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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. lean — to bend
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bass — low music
  10. bark — to shout
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. bore — to drill
  16. file — a tool
  17. tube — a container
  18. last — final
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bass — the fish
  23. file — a document
  24. lean — thin

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