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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. drill — army training
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. swing — in golf
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. swing — music
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. shower — rain
  10. lean — to bend
  11. cell — in biology
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lean — thin
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. drill — the tool
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bark — to shout
  18. swing — to play on
  19. shower — to wash
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cell — a phone
  22. vault — a safe
  23. drill — a practice
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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