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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. lean — to bend
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. lean — thin
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bore — to drill
  14. key — the most important part
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. shower — rain
  18. key — in music
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. key — for a lock
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bore — to tire

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