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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. vault — a safe
  6. lean — to bend
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. lean — thin
  13. bass — low music
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wind — moving air
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. hide — animal skin

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