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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. fine — all right
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. vault — a safe
  6. band — a music group
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fine — high quality
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bark — to shout
  16. band — a ring
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. hand — in cards
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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