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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bat — the animal
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wound — an injury
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bark — to shout
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wound — an injury
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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