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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. vault — a safe
  3. lean — to bend
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. lean — thin
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. squash — to crush
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bulb — for light
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tube — a container

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