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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rest — a break
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pit — a hole
  9. vault — a safe
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pit — in a race
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. band — a ring
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. band — a music group
  16. row — a line
  17. lean — thin
  18. chip — to eat
  19. rest — what's left
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bark — to shout

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