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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. lean — to bend
  8. capital — a city
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. capital — money
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lean — thin
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. bulb — for light
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lean — to rest against

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