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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 116 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. vault — a safe
  3. current — happening now
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. degree — from a university
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. clip — for paper
  10. degree — an amount
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. plane — a tool
  13. current — electric
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. clip — a video
  17. current — of water
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. degree — temperature
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. clip — to cut

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