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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ground — a position
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. can — a tin
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fine — all right
  12. can — to be able to
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. can — a tin
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fine — high quality
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. rash — hasty
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fan — to cool the air

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