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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. lean — to bend
  6. mark — a grade
  7. row — a line
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lean — thin
  10. vault — a safe
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rash — a series
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mark — a trace
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bark — to shout
  23. trunk — of a car
  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