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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cap — of ice
  9. key — for a lock
  10. spell — letters
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bound — tied together
  15. spell — magic
  16. key — the most important part
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. bound — certain
  20. key — in music
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bulb — for light
  24. field — a subject

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