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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mark — a grade
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mate — to breed
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bark — to shout
  11. face — to confront
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. face — part of the head
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mate — a partner
  17. snap — to click
  18. mark — a trace
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. spring — a coil
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. face — to point toward
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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