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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. can — a tin
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. wound — an injury
  5. file — a tool
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. file — a document
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. vault — a safe
  12. can — a tin
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. clip — a video
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. can — to be able to
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wound — an injury
  23. deal — to handle
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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