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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. rash — hasty
  3. present — there
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bark — to shout
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. season — of the year
  15. saw — the tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rash — a series
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. vault — a safe
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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