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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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468
Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — the season
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rock — music
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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