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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. land — ground
  3. bark — to shout
  4. land — to come down
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bound — tied together
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. land — a country
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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