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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. clip — a video
  8. vault — a safe
  9. clip — to cut
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bear — the animal
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. ground — a position
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pass — a permit
  19. kick — in football
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rest — a break
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pass — to succeed

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