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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bark — to shout
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fall — to drop
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fall — to drop
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fall — the season
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. vault — a safe
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. saw — the tool
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chair — a leader

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