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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 water is too ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stand — to bear
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cold — an illness

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