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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. staff — employees
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. can — to be able to
  6. ground — a position
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. can — a tin
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ground — crushed
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. can — a tin
  17. bark — to shout
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. staff — employees
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. staff — a stick

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