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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fall — the season
  9. bark — to shout
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mark — a grade
  13. net — after costs
  14. mate — a partner
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. tube — a container
  17. fall — to drop
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. net — for catching
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. net — in sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. prune — to trim

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