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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. net — for catching
  4. land — ground
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. capital — money
  7. bark — to shout
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. track — a song
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. branch — a division
  14. capital — a city
  15. track — a path
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. net — after costs
  18. track — to keep track
  19. net — in sport
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. land — to come down
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. vault — a safe
  24. land — a country

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