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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. craft — boats
  6. bark — to shout
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. last — finally
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. craft — a skill
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. vault — a safe
  22. last — to go on
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cap — a hat

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