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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. season — in sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ball — a great time
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. season — of the year
  12. clip — to cut
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. vault — a safe
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. ball — a dance
  24. patient — a sick person

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