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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bass — low music
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spell — magic
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bound — tied together
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bound — certain
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. fork — in a road
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. spell — letters
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bass — the fish

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