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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. current — electric
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. current — happening now
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fine — high quality
  8. squash — to crush
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. vault — a safe
  12. fine — all right
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. squash — the sport
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fall — the season
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. current — of water
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fine — a penalty
  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