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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. face — part of the head
  4. net — in sport
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. face — to confront
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. net — for catching
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. net — after costs
  18. tube — a container
  19. face — to point toward
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bark — to shout
  23. dip — to sink
  24. tube — the underground

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