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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. last — to go on
  6. rock — music
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. pound — a weight
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pound — to hit hard

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