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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. roll — a list
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. clip — for paper
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. spring — the season
  15. drill — a practice
  16. spring — of water
  17. bark — to shout
  18. drill — the tool
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. drill — army training
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. roll — a cake
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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