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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bulb — for light
  3. roll — a list
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lean — to bend
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bulb — for light
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. lean — thin
  19. roll — a cake
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wound — an injury

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