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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. saw — the tool
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bound — certain
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spring — of water
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bark — to shout
  14. race — the arms race
  15. spring — the season
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. capital — a city
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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