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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bark — to shout
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stock — shares
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. vault — a safe
  24. deal — a big deal

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